Line 11, Shenzhen Metro

Line 11, Shenzhen Metro
11
The interior of a Business Class carriage
Overview
Type	Rapid transit
System	Shenzhen Metro
Status	Operational
Locale	Shenzhen, China
Termini	Futian Bitou
Stations	18
Operation
Opened	28 June 2016
Operator(s)	SZMC (Shenzhen Metro Group)
Character	Underground and elevated
Technical
Line length	51.7 km (32.12 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Overhead Line, 1,500 V DC
Operating speed	120 km/h

Line 11 of the Shenzhen Metro (simplified Chinese: 十一号线; traditional Chinese: 十一號線; pinyin: Shíyī hào xiàn; Jyutping: Sap6 Jat1 Hou6 Sin3) (also known as the Airport Line; 机场线; 機場線; Jīchǎng xiàn; Gei1 Coeng4 Sin3) opened on 28 June 2016. Line 11 has a length of 51.7 km and a total of 18 stations. It connects the CBDs of Futian, Nanshan and Qianhai to Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport and onward to Fuyong, Shajing and Songgang suburban areas. It serves as both a regional express line from the west coast of Shenzhen to the city core area and an airport rail link. Compared with the other lines of Shenzhen Metro, Line 11 has a longer spacing between stops for a higher speed service. Trains of Line 11 run at 120 km/h, up to 50% faster than other lines. Construction of Line 11 started in April 2012 and test running begun at the end of March 2016. Trains run at a 8-minute frequency with several extra train services during peak hours, and take half an hour to travel from Futian to the Airport.

In 2007, the "Shenzhen City Rail Transit Construction Plan (2011 to 2020)" was publicly announced for the first time, which included the plans for Line 11. The plan calls for a express metro line running along the western coast of Shenzhen with through services to Dongguan, Guangzhou and beyond via the Guangzhou–Dongguan–Shenzhen Intercity Railway which was then envisioned to be a intercity metro line. On December 2008, a ground breaking ceremony was held for the project, attended by Party Secretary Wang Yang and Governor Huang Huahua. However, design changes started immediately after due to disagreements on how to integrate the metro project with the intercity line. Subsequently, the project was postponed.