METRO Lines 6, 11, 12 and 18 in Shenzhen will connect with three subway lines in Dongguan, Shenzhen’s northern neighbor, Shenzhen’s railway office said. Lines 6 and 11 are under construction and Dongguan’s subway is not yet open.

    Line 11 is the first Metro line with plans to connect to Dongguan’s planned subway system, according to the railway office. It starts from Futian and ends at Bitou at the border, running through Nanshan, the Qianhai-Shekou free trade zone and the Shenzhen airport.

    The line will link downtown Shenzhen with the western coast. It will also be the airport express. Designed to run at 120 kilometers per hour, Line 11 will be completed in July next year.

    The trip between Futian CBD and the airport will take about 30 minutes. A trip from downtown to the Dongguan border will take about 50 minutes.

    The railway office said Line 11 will extend to Chang’an, Dongguan, where it will link up with Dongguan’s Metro Line 9. Dongguan’s Line 3 will have 24 stops including Songshan Lake and Chang’an Pedestrian Street. The construction of Dongguan Line 3 has not started.

    Shenzhen’s Line 6 will run between Shenzhen North Railway Station and Songgang, with 20 stops. The 37.7-km line will go through Longhua New Area, Guangming New Area and Songgang, Bao’an District.

    Construction has started and is expected to finish in 2020. Line 6 will link up with Dongguan’s future Line 1 at Lilin Station.

    Shenzhen’s Lines 12 and 18 will connect to Dongguan Line 2, according to the railway office. Line 12 will run about 31.5 kilometers between Sea World in Shekou and New Airport Town in north Bao’an. Line 18 will be an inner city express linking east and west, with a length of 43.2 kilometers. Both lines will link to Dongguan’s Line 2 at New Airport Town.

    The dates for the start of construction of Lines 12 and 18 have not been set.  (Zhang Xiaoyi)