On the morning of December 28, the western extension of Shenzhen Metro Line 5, Phase 3 of Line 8, the southern section of Phase 2 of Line 11 and the northern section of Phase 1 of Line 13 were put into initial operation simultaneously. Up to now, the total operating mileage of Shenzhen’s urban rail transit has reached 634.5 kilometers with 441 stations, realizing subway access to all districts. With a network density of 0.32 kilometers per square kilometer, it ranks first among mainland cities.
The four newly opened lines (sections) cover a total length of about 24.9 kilometers, further densifying the backbone network of the city’s rail transit. Among them, the western extension of Line 5 directly reaches the core business district of Luohu, effectively alleviating the transfer pressure at Huangbeiling Station; the southern section of Phase 2 of Line 11 runs through the east and west, creating an “efficiency corridor” and enabling a 30-minute direct trip from Bao’an to Luohu; Phase 3 of Line 8 ends the history of no subway in Dapeng New Area and opens up the mountain-sea tourism artery; the northern section of Phase 1 of Line 13 activates the north-south traffic artery in western Shenzhen.
At around 9 a.m., many citizens waited outside various stations of the northern section of Phase 1 of Line 13. At 10:18 a.m., the first train slowly departed from Shangwu Station, marking the full-line operation of this north-south backbone line. The newly opened northern section starts from the existing Gaoxin Middle Station and ends at Shangwu Station, with a total length of about 16 kilometers and 9 stations, making it the longest section among the centrally opened lines. After connecting with the southern section put into operation at the end of 2024, passengers can travel directly from Shenzhen Bay Port to sci-tech innovation hubs such as Houhai, Science and Technology Park and Xili.
Equally attracting much attention, Phase 3 of Line 8 starts from Xiaomeisha Station and extends eastward to Xichong Station, eliminating the blind spot of the rail transit network in Dapeng. This section operates in conjunction with the existing Line 2 and Line 8, forming a backbone line running through Nanshan, Futian, Luohu, Yantian and Dapeng New Area, connecting the city center with mountain and sea resources. Xichong Station is adjacent to Shenkui Road, known as “Shenzhen’s most beautiful coastal highway”, and Beizaijiao Boardwalk, with mountains on one side and the sea on the other, offering a panoramic view of the blue sea along the way. It will serve the passenger flow of commuting and tourism in eastern Shenzhen.