Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    A TRIP from Futian CBD to the Shenzhen airport takes 30 minutes, a test run of Metro Line 11 Monday showed.

    The Shenzhen Metro company used six pairs of trains during the test, the number to be used during normal operations at the end of June.

    A trip from Longgang CBD to the airport will also be within 90 minutes. Passengers from Longgang need to transfer at Futian Station, the first station of Line 11.

    According to the Metro company, Line 11, also known as the airport express line, allows an average speed of 56 kilometers per hour and 62 kilometers per hour on the section between Futian and the airport, 65 percent faster than the speed on other lines. The trip on the 51.9-kilometer line between Futian Station and Bitou Station in northern Bao’an District takes 55 minutes.

    During the initial stage of operation, the trains will depart at 10-minute intervals between 6:30 a.m. and 11 p.m. with a stopover of 35 to 45 seconds at each of the 18 stations along the line. The intervals will be cut when Lines 7 and 9 are put into operation at the end of the year.