On March 28, the roof slab of the last section of the main structure of the cut-and-cover section behind Huangbeiling Station on the western extension of Shenzhen Metro Line 5 was capped, marking a shift in on-site construction focus from structural work to preparations for shield launching.

The cut-and-cover section behind Huangbeiling Station is the starting point of the western extension of Metro Line 5. Its eastern end starts behind Huangbeiling Station on the operating first phase of Line 5, and its western end connects to the shield-driven running tunnel. It is about 116 m long and about 19 m wide. A shield launching shaft is provided on the west side of the structure and a track panel shaft on the east side, making it the main site for the project's shield tunneling and later track panel construction.  

The cut-and-cover section is located in Shenzhen's central urban area, where the surrounding environment is extremely complex: the site lies in the middle of a major urban arterial road with very frequent traffic; both sides of the road are lined with older high-rise buildings, the nearest of which is less than 50 m from the site; and the existing running tunnels of Line 2 lie on both sides of the cut-and-cover excavation, with a minimum distance of 1.3 m from the retaining structure. Construction is likely to disturb the surrounding soil and cause deformation of existing buildings and structures, posing a great challenge to on-site construction control and organization.  

The western extension of Metro Line 5 starts from Huangbeiling Station, the current terminus of Line 5, and ends at Grand Theater Station, with a total length of about 2.9 km.  

The line has three stations: Dongmen Road Station, Jianshe Road Station and Grand Theater Station, among which Grand Theater Station will provide transfers to Metro Line 1 and Line 2. It is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2025.