PHASE I of Metro Line 8, the first Metro line to serve Yantian District, will be extended to Xiaomeisha, providing convenience for holidaymakers, according to a reply from the Shenzhen rail construction office to lawmakers.

The plan has been handed to the city government for approval and work will start before the end of the year, the reply said.

The Phase I project starts from Liantang Station and ends at Yantian Road Station. It will be connected with the eastward extension of Line 2 between Xinxiu Station and Liantang Station. The Phase II project of Line 8 starts from Yantian Road and ends at Kuichong Culture Square via Xiaomeisha Station. It has been included in the city’s Phase IV rail construction network and will be completed before the end of 2020.

According to the current plan, riders will need to transfer at Yantian Road Station. Lawmakers in Yantian said it may cause a chaotic situation at the interchange station, especially during weekends or holidays, due to the difference in operational capacity.

Phase I adopts traditional rail that can handle 50,000 to 60,000 riders per hour, while Phase II adopts monorail, which can handle 30,000 riders an hour.

“During holidays or on weekends, a lot of people go to Dameisha, Xiaomeisha and the Dapeng area, and under the present plan, many riders will need to transfer at Yantian Road Station. This would lead to crowding at the station,” said Wu Bin, a lawmaker who works in Yantian.

What worries Wu the most is that Phase I and II of Line 8 can’t be put into operation simultaneously.

According to the city’s rail construction office, the government preliminarily decided to extend the Phase I project by 8.6 kilometers from Yantian Station to Xiaomeisha Station. The office said it was trying to finish Phase I by the end of 2020.

Line 8 is 12.34-km long and has a total of six stations.

(Richard Han)