Han Ximin, Gu Jin

ximhan@126.com

DURING the wee hours of Saturday morning, a final piece of steel rail was hoisted and installed inside the Metro tunnel between Liyumen Station and Qianhai, marking the completion of Line 1’s longest rail overhaul, the Metro line that was put into service 13 years ago.

During the four-month overhaul, which was conducted in two stages, more than 3,000 meters of worn-out rail of Metro Line 1 was replaced with new rails.

In the first stage that began in June, a total of 2,000 meters of rail in nine operation sections were replaced.

In the latest work that lasted nine days, a total of 1,000 meters of rail in two sections between Shenda Station and Taoyuan Station, as well as Liyumen Station and Qianhai Station were replaced.

According to Shenzhen Metro Co., the overhaul was determined necessary due to the degree of wear on the rail. The rail should be replaced if any single 200-meter section is worn out.

Seven large overhauls had been conducted since Line 1, the city’s first Metro rail line, was put into use in 2004.

The 40.4-km Line 1 from Luohu Station to Airport East Station in Bao’an District is one of the busiest Metro lines in the city. It now handles 1.03 million passengers on average per day, according to Shenzhen Metro Co.

Rail replacement work will also be conducted on lines 2, 3 and 5 in the future.