A FEASIBILITY study of the westward extension of Metro Line 3 has been approved by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), city development and reform bureau officials said Monday.

    Costing a total of 5.787 billion yuan (US$847 million), the 8.7-kilometer extension runs from Hongling Road to Yitiancun in Futian District. The whole extension line will be built underground.

    To meet the needs of Shenzhen hosting the 2011 Summer Universiade, the NDRC approved the eastward extension of Metro Line 2 — from Window of the World to Xinxiucun — and the westward extension of Metro Line 3 in October last year. Previously, the country’s top economic planning body had already approved the construction of Metro Lines 2, 3 and 5 and the extensions of Metro Lines 1 and 4.

    The westward extension of Metro Line 3 will have eight underground stops, seven of which will be interchange stations. The only exception will be Tongxinling Station.

    Passengers can expect to interchange to Line 7 at Huaxin and Shixia stations, to Line 16 at Lianhuacun and Yitian stations, to Line 4 at Children’s Palace Station, to Lines 2 and 11 as well as the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong express rail link at Futian Station, and to Line 1 at Coco Park Station.

    The Line 3 extension could be extended farther southward to the Futian Free Trade Zone in the future, according to the feasibility study.

    The westward extension passes through a number of densely populated neighborhoods in Futian District and will help alleviate traffic jams in the Futian central business district (CBD), experts say. It can also help bring the city’s eastern region closer to the CBD and increase passenger flows on Metro Line 3. (SD News)