QIANHAI is mostly construction barriers and dusty roads right now, but Shenzhen has big plans for the area partially built on reclaimed land. The Qianhai traffic hub is projected to become the world’s second-busiest once put into service in 2020.

    A ceremony was held Tuesday to mark the start of the construction of the the Qianhai hub’s main structure, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported. The junction is predicted to see a daily passenger flow of up to 750,000 after completion, putting it just behind Shanghai’s Hongqiao for busiest worldwide.

    The hub will link intercity railways that run through Guangzhou, Dongguan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. Subway Line 1, 5 and 11 and numerous bus routes will also connect to the Qianhai hub.

    Connections through Qianhai will reach as far as the airport in the west to downtown Luohu in the east.

    According to Yang Shuyun, general manager of the junction construction subsidiary of Shenzhen Metro Group, the underground project is scheduled to be finished in September 2020. The area now under construction takes up 100,000 square meters. Shenzhen Metro Group is responsible for the project’s construction.

    The approximate cost of the Qianhai project will reach 17.59 billion yuan (US$2.77 billion).

    “The Qianhai traffic hub will have the deepest underground construction nationwide, that is, six floors in total. The city’s largest underground parking lot will also be built there, providing more than 5,300 parking places,” said Yang.

    The foundation is 830 meters long and 100 meters wide roughly. The upper three floors are reserved for railway and transfer facilities. The lower three will be the 5,300-space parking lot.

    The junction will improve travel in Shenzhen, according to Liu Wen, a general economist with Shenzhen Metro Group. It will also enables urban space restructuring in neighboring Shekou, which has been a large industrial base over the past 30 years, and it will benefit the surrounding areas.

    Hu Can, director of the urban planning department in the Qianhai administration bureau, agreed about its importance.

    “The Qianhai traffic hub is situated right in the center of the Guiwan area, Qianhai-Shekou free trade zone. It is a crucial step for the infrastructure construction in Qianhai,” Hu said.

    The traffic hub was designed by Shanghai Tunnel Engineering & Rail Transit Design and Research Institute, and is being built by the China State Construction Engineering Corp.

    (Zhang Xiaoyi)