SHENZHEN Metro Group unveiled its new logo that carries on the design principle of the original design, but makes radical changes by eliminating the round shape and keeping the symbols of two half-circles that are connected by two lines, a symbol of a rail.

The half circles and two lines represent tunnels and Metro lines. The upper arch and lower arch that face each other indicate interaction through the rail service. The new logo represents the company’s culture of rail + Metro, city + rail and above ground development and underground business operations, according to an inauguration ceremony Saturday.

The launch of the new logo also shows the Metro company’s goal of operating a 1,000-kilometer Metro network, as well as building a 1,000-kilometer rail network that consists of national high-speed rails and intercity rails.

The length of the Shenzhen Metro network in service is more than 400 kilometers, ranking No. 4 among Chinese cities, following Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou.

The lines operated by Shenzhen Metro Group reached 5.5 million trips a day, making up half the public transportation in the city.

The company will apply driverless technologies on lines 12, 13, 14 and 16, which are under construction and expected to be put into operation by the end of 2022.

By then, the total Metro rail network in Shenzhen will extend to 568 kilometers in total.

Shenzhen plans to have 33 Metro lines in operation with a total length of 1,335 kilometers in the year 2035.

The Shenzhen Metro Group also plans to build a Metro Museum at Shenyun Depot in Nanshan District for popular science, education, exhibitions and interactions. It is also planning to build 500 book bars at various Metro stations, in trains and in properties developed above Metro stations. The company also plans to emphasize smart transportation by applying mobile payment, big data and IoT and facial recognition technologies. (Han Ximin)