Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

SHENZHEN Metro Group will launch a morning express train on Line 8 during weekends and holidays, providing travelers with the opportunity to see the sunrise or engage in outdoor activities starting Saturday, one month after the official operation of Phase II of Line 8.

The express train will start at Wanxia Station at 5:30 a.m. and reach Dameisha Station in just 60 minutes, reducing travel time by 25 minutes compared to regular trains. Along the way, the train will skip 25 stations and stop at nine major stations including Houhai, Window of the World, Jingtian, Futian, Gangxia North, Grand Theater, Huangbeiling, and Liantang stations, as per the operator’s announcement.

Since the commencement of operations for Phase II of Line 8 on Dec. 27, the four stations — Honganwei, Yantianxu, Dameisha, and Xiaomeisha — had carried 2.38 million passengers by Tuesday. On weekends and during holidays, there is an average daily ridership of 152,900 passengers, whereas the average on workdays is recorded at 53,300. During the New Year’s Day holiday, Dameisha Station recorded 600,000 passenger trips over the course of three days, underscoring the appeal of the tourist destination.

In addition to the morning express train, the operator is considering opening more express trains that only stop at major stations through signal and facility updates. The service is expected to be operational around the May Day holiday, the start of the tourism season.

Data released by the operator reveals that the city’s Metro network handled a total of 2.7 billion passenger trips in 2023, averaging 7.42 million trips per day. With the operation of Phase II of Line 8 last year, the city’s Metro network has extended to 567.1 kilometers.

In 2024, the city plans to open Phase IV of Line 5 and Phase II of Line 7, totaling 11.5 kilometers.