Metro Phase IV tunnel project starts

The Tunnel Boring Machine starts tunneling at the section between Universiade Station and Baohe Station of Metro Line 14 yesterday. Sun Yuchen

The Tunnel Boring Machine of contractor China Railway Group started tunneling at the section between Universiade Station and Baohe Station of Metro Line 14 yesterday, marking the start of the tunneling project of the city’s Phase IV Metro network.

The section runs 5.7 kilometers, making it the longest tunnel section of the 50-km Line 14 that runs through three districts from Futian CBD to Pingshan. It starts from Gangxia North Station and ends at Shatian Station in Pingshan.

The line will be extended at both ends to Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center in Futian CBD and Huizhou in the east. With 17 stations, Line 14 will introduce driverless technologies and has been designed with a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The line will be put into operation in 2022.

In the Phase IV construction, the city has begun five lines, namely lines 12, 13, 14 and 16, and the Line 6 spur line. The five lines run 148.6 kilometers with 94 stations.

Besides the regular construction, the city submitted a Phase IV adjustment plan (2017-2022) for approval by upper-level authorities. The adjustment includes an eastward extension of Line 3, southward extension of the Line 6 spur line, eastward extension of Line 7, eastward extension of Line 8, eastward and southward extensions of Line 10, eastward extension of Line 11, northward extension of Line 12, northward and southward extensions of Line 13, southward extension of Line 14, southward extension of Line 16 and northward extension of Line 20. The extension lines run 87.1 kilometers and include 53 stations.

Line 3 will be extended eastward to cover Pingdi and Longgang CBD. It will join Metro Line 3, which links Longgang and Futian.

The Line 6 spur line will be constructed in Phase IV. It will run between Shenzhen and Dongguan. The extension of the spur line will run along Guangming Boulevard and have an interchange station with the northward extension of Line 13 at Guangming Station, which is located at Guangmingcheng High-speed Railway Station. The spur line supports the development of Guangming Feature Town and Fenghuang New Town, and promotes the integration of Shenzhen and Dongguan.

The eastward extension of Line 10 will link Pinghu, Fenggang in Dongguan and Universiade Town in Longgang, enhancing the connection between Longgang CBD, Pinghu and Banxuegang. The southward extension will extend to Futian Free Trade Zone.

Line 11 will be extended eastward from Futian to Caiwuwei in Luohu. It includes three stations: Gangxiabei Station, Shanghai Hotel Station and Grand Theater Station.

This year, a total of 16 lines are under construction. The Metro extensions of lines 5 and 9 will be put into operation, the remaining Phase III lines will enter the tail-out period and the major engineering work for Phase IV will be implemented. The westward extensions of Line 5, Line 8, Huangmugang Transport Hub and Universiade Transport Hub will be developed.

Shenzhen has completed and put into operation eight Metro lines.

By the end of 2020, the length of the city’s Metro network will reach 411 kilometers. When all of the lines in Phase IV are completed by 2023, the Metro rail network will extend 568 kilometers.

In the long run, the city plans to have 33 Metro lines in operation, with a total length of 1,335 kilometers by 2035.