Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

SHENZHEN has reserved the function of building Lingdingyang Link (Shenzhen-Zhuhai Link) and the western extension of Shenzhen Outer Ring Expressway to enhance its connectivity with the west bank of the Pearl River.

Shenzhen Municipal Transportation Bureau’s 14th Five-Year Plan that was published on its official website http://jtys.sz.gov.cn/hdjlpt/yjzj/answer/11355 yesterday is seeking public suggestions. The bureau said the city is building a regional transportation network including intercity rail, high-speed rail, low-altitude flights and ferry services through cooperation with neighboring cities and implementing the Bay Connect project with high standards.

According to earlier reports, Shenzhen-Zhuhai Link will feature both road and rail services. The project was drafted in the Guangdong Expressway Network Plan (2018-2035). Shenzhen-Zhuhai Link will be built to the standard of a high-speed railway, with a top speed of 350 kilometers per hour. The link has a dual function of a high-speed rail and an intercity rail. It connects to Shenzhen-Shanwei High-speed Railway at Xili Station, has a stop at Qianhai and goes under the Pearl River.

The bureau plans to use Xiaochan Island and the surrounding land, which has been reclaimed from the sea, as a landing point for Shenzhen-Zhuhai Link. The landing point will be connected to Shenzhen Outer Ring Expressway, which links Qianhai, Baopeng Passage, Nanping Expressway and Yueliangwan Boulevard.

The link will cut the trip between Shenzhen and Zhuhai to 30 minutes. As of now, it takes two to three hours to drive between the two cities that are separated by the Pearl River.

Shenzhen Outer Ring Expressway will be extended westward and be connected with Zhongshan-Jiangmen Expressway by passing Nansha Port in Guangzhou.

Under the five-year plan, Ganzhou-Shenzhen High-speed Railway and Shenzhen Airport Satellite Hall will be put into use this year. The length of expressways and trunk roads in the city will reach 700 kilometers and the container throughput at Shenzhen Port will reach 33 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) by 2025. Passenger turnover at the Shenzhen airport will reach 70 million and the city will be connected to 100 cities outside China. The public can give suggestions by email to ghc_zhjt@jtys.sz.gov.cn by May 12.