CHINA: The 40·5 km long metro Line 12 and a 6·1 km branch of the existing Line 6 opened in Shenzhen on November 28.
Line 12
The southwest to northwest Line 12 connects Zuopaotai Dong and Waterlands Resort East, serving 33 stations.
Line 12 was the first metro line in Shenzhen to be built and operated under a PPP model; the operator is Shenzhen Line 12 Rail Transit Co. The 80 km/h line is fully automated to GoA4, and stations are equipped with facial recognition ticket barriers.
The route is operated by 56 six-car Type A trainsets manufactured by CRRC Puzhen. These are 140 m long and 3 100 mm wide.
Line 12 was approved in 2007, initially as Line 10. Construction started in January 2017 and test runs began in September 2022.
A further 8·1 km six-station northern extension of Line 12 is planned for completion by October 2025, extending the route from Waterlands Resort East to Songgang.
Line 6B
Also opened on November 28 was the 6·1 km first section of Line 6B. This branch off the existing Line 6 runs from the junction at Guangming to Shenzhen Institute of Technology with one intermediate station. Trains run at a maximum speed of 120 km/h on an underground alignment, although Guangming station is elevated. Line 6B is run by Shenzhen Metro Operation Group Co using nine six-car Type B trainsets manufactured by CRRC Puzhen. Line 6B is also automated to GoA4.
A further extension of the branch is already approved for opening in 2025. This would add 4·9 km running southwest from Guangming to Guangmingcheng, where interchange with the future lines 13 and 18 would be provided.
A further extension from Shenzhen Institute of Technology to Huangjiang Central is also envisaged in the longer term.
