Gongbei-to-airport MRT station is readied for service

The Zhuhai Station of the intercity MRT connecting downtown with Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport is nearly completed, according to CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering Co.

With a floorage of 4,315 sq m (1 acre), the new station is located southwest of the Guangzhou-Zhuhai Intercity MRT Zhuhai Station in Gongbei. The two stations are alike in appearance and connected by corridors.

Downtown-Airport MRT Zhuhai Station

Installation of platform screen doors and other devices is underway. Featuring a simple but elegant style, the station will have a marble interior finish and aluminum veneer in the ceilings. It will be equipped with four escalators, an elevator, and concrete and steel stairways.

Passengers should pass security checks in the Station Hall and then go up to the platforms. The waiting area is smaller than that of high-speed railways as the high frequency of train arrivals will shorten wait times.

Spanning 17 km (11 miles), the first phase of the intercity rail transit line starts in Gongbei. It passes Wanzai North, Wanzai, Shizimen, Financial Island, and Hengqin stations before terminating at Chimelong Station. The section may open in November to greatly alleviate urban traffic pressure.

Platform

Moreover, the Zhuhai Station is reserved for connection to Macao's Qingmao Checkpoint, or New Guangdong-Macao Channel, while the Hengqin Station is reserved for the Macao Light Rail Transit. The Hengqin facility is to become China's second largest underground intercity MRT station after Shenzhen's Futian Railway Station, according to an executive from CCCC Fourth Harbor Engineering.

The second phase, which runs 23 km (14 miles) from Hengqin to the airport, is to be completed in January 2023. Designed with a speed of 100 to 160 kmh (62 to 99 mph), the entire intercity MRT line will cut travel time between Gongbei and the airport to half an hour.

Escalators

Hengqin Station [Photos by Ye Qiuming / Zhuhai Daily]