CONSTRUCTION projects for several different intercity railways connecting Shenzhen, Dongguan and Huizhou have been progressing slowly, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

    Work on a 99.8-kilometer rail line connecting Dongguan and Huizhou, for example, began in May 2009 and was scheduled for completion at the end of last year, but the railway’s opening has been delayed twice. The line is now due to open next year.

    That line includes a 33.3-kilometer section in Huizhou that will include seven stations and so far has seen smooth construction. But work on a Dongguan section that will span more than 60 kilometers was suspended in March, because of several collapses.

    When construction will start on a Shenzhen International Airport railway station that will provide connections to Guangzhou and Dongguan is unknown, the paper said.

    That rail line will enter Dongguan through Xintang and reach Shenzhen’s airport after passing through several towns and subdistricts in Dongguan.

    Separately, construction has not started on another railway connecting Shenzhen and Huizhou. According to plans unveiled in 2010, the 113-kilometer railway will cost more than 29.7 billion yuan (US$4.7 billion) and is due to open before the end of 2020, with speeds of 200 kilometers per hour.

    However, that railway is still in planning stages, according to Shenzhen’s development and reform commission.

    Shenzhen and Huizhou have not yet reached consensus on funding of railway projects or on how to generate profits after they’re completed, the paper said, citing an unidentified source with the commission. Shenzhen doesn’t expect heavy demand along the planned line to Huizhou, because Shenzhen Metro’s Line 3, the Longgang Line, likely will be extended to reach Huizhou.(Martin Li)