Recently, geological surveyors were seen working along the section of Guangzhou Asian Games Avenue near the Panyu Coach Station, conducting exploration for the Guangzhou Metro Line 3 East Extension Project in preparation for its official construction.
　　At around 9 p.m. on August 20, part of the auxiliary road on Asian Games Avenue near the Panyu Coach Station was cordoned off with metal barriers, and workers within the enclosed area set up drilling rigs to bore into the ground. According to the workers, they were conducting exploration for the Guangzhou Metro Line 3 East Extension Project, surveying the geological and hydrological (groundwater) conditions of the proposed metro alignment in preparation for formal construction. Due to heavy daytime traffic, to avoid disrupting traffic, they chose to work from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next morning and clear the site after 6 a.m. Since work began on August 8, six drilling rigs and about 30 people have been on site each day.
　　It is understood that the Guangzhou Metro Line 3 East Extension Project (Panyu Square–Haibang) has a total length of 9.58 kilometers and comprises four stations: Panyu Coach Station, Guangzhou New Town West, Jinguang Avenue, and Haibang. Among them is one interchange station, Haibang Station, which will interchange with Line 4 and the planned southern extension of Line 8; the entire line is underground. The project is scheduled to start construction in January 2020 and open for trial operation in December 2023, with a total construction period of about four years. Train service is expected to run from 6 a.m. to 12 midnight, operating 18 hours a day.
　　The Line 3 East Extension is the second metro line, after Line 7, to connect Lines 3 and 4. It is an important east-west transport backbone running through Guangzhou New Town and is closely linked with the old urban area of Shiqiao, helping to relieve pressure on the old city and relocate functions outward, while giving full play to the southern area's locational and resource advantages and promoting the development of Panyu District. At the same time, the Line 3 East Extension connects Lines 3 and 4, linking Panyu's two urban development axes and adding a rapid connection between the Nansha Mingzhu Bay Area and the city center, thereby fully leveraging the network effects of rail transit.