In global urban transport, which station is widely recognised as the busiest metro or railway station in the world in terms of daily passenger traffic?

Introduction / Context:
Major world cities often have extremely busy transport hubs where millions of passengers interchange between trains, subways, and buses. One of the most famous examples is Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, which is widely recognised as the busiest station in the world by daily passenger numbers. This fact features regularly in geography and general knowledge questions aimed at highlighting the scale of urban transport systems in Japan.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The question asks for the busiest metro or railway station in the world by daily passenger traffic.- Options include Times Square–42nd Street Station in New York, Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, Chatelet–Les Halles in Paris, and Beijing Railway Station in Beijing.- We assume commonly cited figures from transport agencies and general knowledge references.

Concept / Approach:
Shinjuku Station is a huge interchange in Tokyo serving multiple railway companies and metro lines. Estimates suggest that several million passengers pass through it each day, far exceeding the passenger counts at most other stations in the world. Although the other options are very busy stations in their own cities, they do not match Shinjuku Station in terms of daily throughput.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify which option corresponds to Shinjuku Station in Tokyo, a station frequently described as the busiest in the world.Step 2: Recall that Times Square–42nd Street is a key subway interchange in New York City but handles fewer daily passengers compared to Shinjuku.Step 3: Chatelet–Les Halles in Paris is a major hub for the RER and metro, yet its daily ridership is also lower than Shinjuku s massive numbers.Step 4: Beijing Railway Station is important in China but again not the single busiest station worldwide when measured by daily ridership.Step 5: Since Shinjuku Station in Tokyo is consistently labelled the busiest station in the world, we select it as the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative Check:
Travel guides, news articles, and transport related reference materials repeatedly state that Shinjuku Station is the busiest station in the world, with several million passengers using it each day. Some sources also note that the station complex includes multiple concourses and entrances serving various lines, which explains its extremely high passenger volumes.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Times Square–42nd Street Station, New York: A very busy subway hub in the United States but not the global leader in daily passenger numbers.Chatelet–Les Halles, Paris: A major interchange in the Paris region; however, its ridership levels do not surpass Shinjuku Station.Beijing Railway Station, Beijing: An important station in China, but other stations in Tokyo and other cities handle more daily passengers.

Common Pitfalls:
Students sometimes confuse the busiest station with the busiest metro network or the largest station by area. Another common mistake is to assume that a station in New York or Beijing must automatically hold any superlative related to passenger numbers. Paying attention to specific phrases such as busiest station and remembering that this title usually belongs to Shinjuku Station in Tokyo helps avoid such errors.

Final Answer:
Shinjuku Station, Tokyo is widely recognised as the busiest metro or railway station in the world in terms of daily passenger traffic.