A METROPOLIS circle built on tracks is taking shape as work has pressed forward smoothly on the intercity rails between Shenzhen and neighboring Dongguan and Huizhou. Before the end of 2022, there will be at least 10 intercity projects in progress in the Shenzhen metropolis circle, according to a report at Shenzhen Release, the official WeChat account of Shenzhen Internet Information Office.

Workers have completed fencing and started foundation pitch excavation at the Qianhai Station in the Airport-Qianhai extension section of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Intercity Rail. The station will be completed in 2024, enabling rail travels between Guangzhou and Qianhai as well as Bao’an Central Business District.

Construction will start on the Qianhai-Pingdi section of the Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Rail before the end of the year and is scheduled to be completed in 2026, according to Shenzhen Metro Group, the project contractor.

“The Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Rail serves dual roles for one-hour intercity transportation and 30-minute commuting,” according to the Metro Group.

Three other projects — namely the Shenzhen airport-Pingshan section of Shenzhen-Daya Bay Intercity Rail, the Dapeng spur line of the Shenzhen-Huizhou Intercity Rail and the Qianhai-Huanggang extension of the Guangzhou-Dongguan-Shenzhen Intercity Railway — will start construction before the end of the year, sources from Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau said.

According to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) intercity railway construction plan, 10 projects for the Shenzhen metropolis circle will be initiated before the end of 2022, spanning 351 kilometers in length and will cost 187.2 billion yuan (US$29.01 billion) in investments. Among these projects, nine are led by Shenzhen.

In the next five years, Shenzhen will enter a peak period for intercity railway construction. The planning of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen Central Axis Railway and Changping-Longhua Intercity Rail will be included into the plan, according to Shenzhen rail office.

At the beginning of the year, the Guangdong Provincial Government delegated 13 administrative items relating to the construction of transportation facilities to the Shenzhen municipal authority. The measures gave Shenzhen greater autonomy, and improved efficiency and quality for intercity rail construction.