Passengers using the Huanggang Checkpoint will be able to get there by Metro from August, when south China's Huanggang Checkpoint Station on Metro Line 4 opens, Shenzhen Metro was quoted by Chinese-language papers as saying yesterday.

Shi Yousheng, general manager of the company, said in a radio program Tuesday that the new checkpoint building will be accessible from the Huanggang Checkpoint Station.

Line 4, which runs from south to north, presently consists of three stations, from the Futiannan area to Shenzhen Children's Palace.

The line will link the Huanggang Checkpoint to Longhua New Town in Longgang District by 2009, Shi said.

Shi said the interval between trains for Line 1 will be shortened by one more minute from the present seven minutes to six starting April 28 ahead of the May Day holidays.

It is the fifth time for the Metro to reduce the waiting time since May 1 last year, according to Shi.

Shi said starting May 1, students will have to pay only half the fare. He encouraged passengers to use prepaid cards to save time, and promised card-holders a 5-percent discount on train rides.

According to Shi, Line 1 will run from Luohu Railway Station to Xixiang by the end of 2009 while construction on Line 2 is expected to start in September, linking Futian, Nanshan and Shekou.

Lines 3 and 5 have received approval from the Central Government, Shi said.

Upon completion of Phase I, the 32.983-kilometer-long Line 3 will have 21 stations, from Hongling Road Central Station to Longxing Street Station. Passengers can change to Line 1 at Laojie Station in Dongmen.

Line 5 is designed to start at Shekou and end at Yantian port. Line 8 is being planned to link downtown Shenzhen to Dameisha and Xiaomeisha beaches in Yantian.

In 10 years, Shenzhen will boast 260 kilometers of Metro lines, Shi said.

(Shenzhen Daily April 20, 2006)