Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SOME Metro stations in Shenzhen have implemented an Early Bird program by beginning the day’s service 1-30 minutes earlier than the scheduled 6:30 a.m. start, sources from the operator said Friday.

The move is to meet the needs of early commuters and to try to cut down on crowding. A total of 159 stations have participated during the week, and 153 stations have participated on the weekends.

The stations that start service before 6:10 a.m. weekdays include Tangkeng Station on Line 3, Bantian Station on Line 5, Chiwei Station on Line 7, Yinhu Station on Line 9 and Airport Station on Line 11.

During weekends and holidays, the stations that start trains before 6:10 a.m. include Xiangmei North Station on Line 2, Tangkeng Station on Line 3, Changlingpi Station on Line 5, Huanggang Checkpoint Station on Line 7, Maling Station on Line 9 and Airport Station on Line 11.

The seven Metro lines operated by Shenzhen Metro Group now handle about 4.32 million passengers a day, about 80 percent over the ridership before the COVID-19 outbreak.