According to the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area Management Committee, the Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit project has now entered the full construction phase and is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2015. The reporter learned that the Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit starts from Miaojialing in Laoshan District in the south and extends to Wangcun New Town in Jimo City in the north. Once this light rail is completed, it will take only 20 minutes to travel from the city center to the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area.

Land Vacated for Light Rail “Homes”

Yesterday, the reporter learned from the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area Management Committee that the Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit, the “new partner” of Binhai Avenue, has entered the full construction phase and is expected to be completed in 2015.

Yesterday, the reporter saw at the Aoshanwei Subdistrict Office that the light rail in this section has begun construction. “After preliminary assessment and clearance of 12 villages and land, we have now vacated 290 mu of land for the light rail, providing a place for it to settle,” said the relevant person in charge of the Aoshanwei Subdistrict Office.

The reporter learned that according to the plan, the Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit project starts from Miaoling Road Station in the south and extends to Yantian East Station in Wangcun New Town, Jimo City in the north, with a total length of more than 58 kilometers and 22 stations, including 4 underground stations and 18 elevated stations, with an average distance between stations of about 2.5 kilometers. The line runs east along Miaoling Road, turns north at Laoshan No. 2 Middle School via Qinling Road and Yunling Road onto Songling Road, passes Kedazhi Road, Keda Road, Liaoyang East Road, Zaoshan East Road, Zhangcun River, Zhuzhou Road, Xinyuan Road, and Jiushui Road, then enters Binhai Avenue, passes Jinshui Road, Shiyuan Avenue, and Tianshui Road, then enters the Laoshan Scenic Protection Area, passes through Beizhai Cluster and Wanggezhuang Cluster, then enters the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area, passes Wangsha Road and Laiqing Road, then enters Silicon Valley No. 2 Road on the west side of the planned Binhai Avenue, passes Daren River and Wenquan River, then goes north into Wenquan No. 2 Road, runs north along the planned Fengdao into Datian Road, runs east along Datian Road into the planned Wangcun New Town, with conditions reserved for eastward extension to Tianheng and Haiyang.

Interchange with Multiple Subway Lines Along the Way

It is understood that this light rail line will also have 6 interchange stations: at Miaoling Road Station and Shiyuanhui Station, it will interchange with the planned M2 Line; at Huizhan Center Station with the planned M10 Line; at Zaoshan East Road Station with the planned M4 Line; at Tuzhai River Station with the planned R6 Line; and at Motian Sanwu Station with the planned R7 Line. There will be one parking lot at Ocean University, located on the west side of Ocean University Station; one comprehensive vehicle base at Datian Road, located on the east side of Datian Road Station; and one control center, located within the Ocean University vehicle depot.

“This project will interchange with multiple transportation lines in the planned network, effectively attracting passenger flow along the coastal line, providing a rapid channel for passenger flow between Huangdao, Laoshan, Jimo, and the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area through the center of the East Coast urban area, and will play an important role in effectively utilizing transportation network resources, realizing resource sharing of the transportation network, and giving full play to the functions of the rail transit network such as rapid passenger transport and guiding urban development,” said the relevant person in charge of the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area Management Committee.

Light Rail to Drive Development of Core Area

At present, the Qingdao Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit project has completed the planning of the main network routes and stations, and the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area is carrying out land leveling for the rail line.

According to the introduction, as a modern transportation system, the construction of the Qingdao Blue Silicon Valley Intercity Rail Transit will not only directly affect the travel environment and lifestyle of residents in the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area, but will also support the national marine science and technology strategy of “going deep into the sea and going high-end,” further advance the realization of the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone plan, and greatly promote the connection between the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area and the East Coast urban area of Qingdao, amplify the same-city effect between the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area and Qingdao, and undertake Qingdao's all-round radiation. At the same time, through the construction of the intercity rail transit network, it will also attract more people, logistics, and capital flows to gather, greatly driving the industrial and economic development of the Blue Silicon Valley Core Area.

“With the completion and opening of subways and light rail, the transportation system of Qingdao's main urban area will enter an era where buses, subways, and light rail operate in parallel,” said the relevant person in charge of the Municipal Transportation Commission. Compared with subways and buses, light rail requires less investment, yields quick results, and is environmentally friendly. The key is its large capacity: one light rail train can carry more than ten times the capacity of a bus.