Zhang Yu

JeniZhang13@163.com

MANY citizens arrived early at the Dameisha Station for a ride on the much-anticipated Line 8 extension, the city’s first direct Metro route to the popular Dameisha and Xiaomeisha beaches in Yantian District, yesterday, as it officially began operation at 10:58 a.m.

A citizen surnamed Li couldn’t hide his excitement after taking a ride.

“Just now, it took only 3 minutes from Xiaomeisha to Dameisha. It was just so fast. Previously, it took at least over half an hour [to travel between the two places by bus],” Li told reporters.

“It’s easy to get stuck in traffic during holidays when heading to the seaside in eastern Shenzhen. Now that there’s a rail, we won’t have the trouble of being in a traffic jam,” a woman surnamed Zheng said.

“It’s very convenient if my family members or friends who come to Shenzhen want to enjoy the seaview or just travel around,” another citizen surnamed Li said.

The extension starts from the existing Yantian Road Station of lines 2 and 8, stretching eastward to the Xiaomeisha Station, covering a distance of about 8.01 kilometers. It has four stations, namely Honganwei, Yantianxu, Dameisha, and Xiaomeisha.

The four stations’ designs reflect Yantian’s marine feature, in addition to the district’s reputation for green tourism.

Each station features a unique thematic style, with elements such as conches, shells, and turtles on the ceilings and floor tiles, creating a relaxed ambience for passengers to enjoy.

As a vital transportation artery in the  eastern part of Shenzhen, Line 8 extension is designed to facilitate travel for residents in Luohu, Futian, and Nanshan districts and other parts of the city heading to Yantian.

While the Xiaomeisha Station is the station closest to the sea, exits A and B of the Dameisha Station were designed as outward halls, allowing passengers direct access to the Dameisha beach.

The Xiaomeisha resort area, which is now undergoing renovation, will reopen during the May Day holiday in 2024 to cater to the peak tourist season. The revamped area will feature a new theme park, an ecological park, a coastal shopping mall, and hotels to cater to everyone’s travel and leisure needs.

In addition, an eight-minute walk from the Yantianxu Station will lead foodies to Yantian Seafood Street, one of the eight major food streets in Shenzhen.

Furthermore, the extension line also provides convenience for travelers from Hong Kong as direct access to Line 8 is available from both Liantang and Shatoujiao checkpoints.

With the operation of the extension, the total operating mileage of the Shenzhen urban rail network has reached 567.1 kilometers, ranking fourth in the country, statistics showed.