Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN plans to start construction on five intercity rails in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area within the year, according to an agreement on feasibility research and auxiliary-themed projects signed Friday.

The five intercity lines include the Shenzhen-Shenshan High-speed Rail, Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Rail, Shenzhen-Daya Bay Intercity Rail, the Longgang-Dapeng spur line and the Qianhai-Huanggang Checkpoint section of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Intercity Rail.

The total length of the rails is 410 kilometers and is estimated at 201.8 billion yuan (US$28 billion).

“Shenzhen Metro Group will organize research institutes to push forward feasibility studies for the projects and try to ensure the construction of the Shenzhen International Airport-Qianhai section of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Intercity Rail will start this June as scheduled with the other projects to start within the end of the year,” Bai Minggang with the Shenzhen Metro Investment, Planning and Design Center said in an interview after the signing ceremony.

The design of the Shenzhen airport-Qianhai section has been completed. According to Bai, the five intercity rails will be connected with the city’s Metro network.

The Shenzhen-Shenshan High-speed Rail is designed for speeds up to 350 kilometers per hour. The 128-km high-speed rail between downtown Shenzhen and the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone will cut the trip to 30 minutes upon the rail’s operation in 2025. It will connect with the Guangzhou-Shanwei rail and become part of the future coastal high-speed rail corridor. The 38-billion-yuan project starts from Xili Station in Nanshan District and ends at Chishi Station in Shenshan. It has been listed on the Guangdong 2020 Key Project Construction Plan.

The Qianhai-Huanggang Checkpoint section is an extension of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen intercity rail from Qianhai. It will support the development of Qianhai and Coastal New Town in Dongguan.

The Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Railway starts from Xili Station in Nanshan District, a major hub station, and travel northeast to end at Huizhou Station, passing Longgang and Longhua districts.

The Longgang-Dapeng spur line will enhance the connectivity of Dapeng with the rest of the city through connections with the Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Rail and Shenzhen-Daya Bay Intercity Rail.

Besides the intercity rails, Shenzhen will open seven Metro line sections of 107 kilometers this year. This year, a network of 343 kilometers is under construction, including 76 km of projects of Metro Phase IV. The city will also initiate the construction of Xili Station and Airport East Station and upgrade Shenzhen Station, Guangmingcheng Station and Pingshan Station this year.

The construction of the Xili Transport Hub, including Xili Station, the Tanglangshan train depot and a new line of 12 kilometers, will cost 15.7 billion yuan and be completed in 2024.