Shenzhen's Metro line will be extended to Xixiang, Bao'an District by the end of 2009, Lin Maode, vice general manager of the Metro company pledged at a public meeting Friday.

The official also promised to appoint a spokesperson for the company and publicize the progress of the Metro project on a more regular basis.

More than 1,000 Metro staff and construction workers attended the meeting, observed by Vice Mayor Zhang Siping.

"The local government has listed the Metro project as a priority in the construction of the city's infrastructure and we have set the goal of building 155 kilometers of line by the time the Summer Universiade is held in Shenzhen in 2011. Everyone needs to contribute their efforts to ensure this difficult mission is fulfilled in time," Zhang said.

The Metro company has recently come under fire from local citizens and city leaders for the slow progress of its construction projects.

At the meeting, Lin promised that Metro Line 1 between Window of the World and Xixiang would be completed by Dec. 26, 2009. Services between Xixiang and Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and on Metro Line 2 between Window of the World and Shekou would begin Dec. 30, 2010. The extension of Metro Line 2 from Window of the World to Huaqiangbei or Shenzhen Grand Theater will be commissioned for use June 30, 2011, forming a loop with Line 1.

"We are confident that the projects will be completed according to schedule. Construction has already started on the line linking Xixiang," said the vice general manager. "It has also been decided that the line will run overground rather than underground on the section between Xixiang and the airport to cut construction costs. We are still consulting with the urban planning bureau about the route of the Metro Line 2 extension, as it remains to be decided whether it connects to Line 1 at Huaqiangbei or Shenzhen Grand Theater."

Lin blamed the project delays on the difficult choice of routes. "We have to relocate so many people because the Metro requires maintenance stations and parks which occupy a large amount of space," he said.

The official acknowledged that the Metro platforms at Dongmen and Huaqiangbei stations are not big enough, with crowds having to queue during rush hours.

"We will learn lessons from Metro Line 1 and improve the design of Metro Line 2 stations," he promised.

Editor: Yan