Metro extends service hours for Lantern Festival

Shenzhen Metro will continue to extend its service hours until Friday to accommodate the surging passenger flow for the celebration of the Lantern Festival, which falls on Wednesday this year.

Operating hours for lines 1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 13, and 14 have been extended by an hour until midnight. The last trains in both directions on lines 4, 5, and 6, which connect Shenzhen North Station, and Line 11, which links the airport, will not depart earlier than 1 a.m. the next day. On Line 1, the last train from Luohu Station will not depart earlier than 12:55 a.m. the next day, and the last train from Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint Station on Line 13 will not depart earlier than midnight.

A Shenzhen Metro staff member assists commuters at Shenzhen North Station in a file photo. Courtesy of Shenzhen Metro

The city's 18 Metro lines handled a total of 29.33 million riderships during the eight-day Chinese New Year holiday, which ended last Wednesday, with an average of 3.66 million passenger trips daily.

This represented a 7.9% year-on-year increase, reflecting the growing trend of people choosing to stay or visit Shenzhen during the past Spring Festival holiday, which was one day more than last year. Furthermore, the launch of new Metro lines has further encouraged passengers to opt for subway travel, according to the city's transport authority.

Notably, lines 1, 5, and 11 emerged as the top three busiest lines during the holiday, serving as crucial links to train stations and the airport.

During this year's Spring Festival holiday, Shenzhen Metro extended its service hours for a total of 23 days. Over 46,000 staff members were on duty to serve passengers and tourists, and more than 760 volunteers were deployed daily at Metro stations across the city.