Massive projects are transforming city
Mainland cities routinely develop huge new airports, subway systems or train stations. Xiamen is different in that it is conducting all these massive projects at the same time.
Mainland cities routinely develop huge new airports, subway systems or train stations. Xiamen is different in that it is conducting all these massive projects at the same time.
With a 40 billion yuan (HK$51 billion) airport, 50 billion yuan subway system, and new train stations, the city is being remapped.
The premise and promise of these projects are twofold: a short-term boost in investment and construction jobs, coupled with a long-term increase in efficiency and economy for residents and visitors.
The projects are already changing traffic flows in and to the city. The expanded Xiamen railway station and new high-speed rail routes have cut transport time from Shenzhen to Xiamen's city centre to less than three hours.
"A train ride from Shenzhen that offers comfortable seats, Wi-fi and typically no delay is perfect for comfortably travelling with children," says David Katemopoulos, general manager of Le Meridien Xiamen.
Travellers seem to agree, and flights from Shenzhen to Xiamen have dropped by up to one-third since the Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail's debut.
Because the subway project has yet to open, its short-term impact has been more on surface traffic than commuter patterns. That will change in 2017, when the first subway line connects the city's southern ferry port with its two main rail stations.
Keith Griffiths, the chairman of Aedas and who has designed several major projects in Xiamen, predicts that the subway system will serve as a key conduit to the city's major shopping and transport hubs, boosting business along the routes.
The expansion of Xiamen's airport system is already under way, with the new T4 terminal opening last December to service domestic flights. Two new runways will double the city's air capacity when they come online towards the end of the decade. Another new train station is under construction to service the terminals for the additional runways.
While the urban and intercity rail systems and the airport projects are independent, they have been designed to integrate. Separate subway lines will intersect with each other at rail stations and airports.
Whether travelling across the island, to Shenzhen, Beijing or points international, transport will be more efficient and economical.