In 2023, Shenyang Metro Line 2 South Extension and Line 4 opened simultaneously, linking "three stations and one airport" and ushering Shenyang's transportation into an era of "air-rail intermodal transport." This year, Shenyang's metro construction will take another important step, as the first "aerial metro," Line 3, strives to achieve trial operation of its western section by the end of the year.

On May 13, with the completion of the pouring of the last roof slab, the main structure of the Zhongde Avenue Station on Section 3 of Shenyang Metro Line 3, constructed by China Railway No. 2 Engineering Group, was successfully capped, marking a new breakthrough in the project's progress.

Buy tickets on the second-floor concourse, board trains on the third-floor platform

At the site, the elevated bridges run through the city like a long dragon, and viewed from the sky by drone, they are truly spectacular. The prototype of the Zhongde Avenue elevated station has taken shape, with platforms on both sides and space left in the middle for track laying. At the work site, various machines and equipment roar, and construction workers are busy on the elevated section.

The first "aerial metro" has a total of 9 elevated stations

Metro Line 3 is known as Shenyang's first "aerial metro." The first phase of the project is about 41 kilometers long and has 30 stations in total, including 21 underground stations and 9 elevated stations, namely: Lida Station, Tiexi Automobile Factory Station, Mabei Station, Zhongde Avenue Station, Xihe Yougu Station, Zhaijia Station, University of Technology Station, Ningguan Station, and Yuliang Station.

According to reports, Zhongde Avenue Station is the fifth of the nine stations in the western section of Metro Line 3. Its structure is a three-level side-platform elevated station with a single column in the middle of the road: the first level above ground is an elevated open floor, the second level above ground is the concourse, and the third level above ground is the platform. The main building area is 6,405.7 square meters, the platform width is 7.5 meters + 7.5 meters, the station structure's outer contour is 122.8 meters long, 22.2 meters wide, and 15.6 meters high.

The western section of Line 3 strives to achieve trial operation by the end of this year

On May 13, Zhongde Avenue Station completed concrete pouring. The project took only 2 months and 7 days to complete the main structure construction, setting the fastest construction progress record for a station in the western section of Shenyang Metro Line 3. It is expected that after all civil engineering work is completed on May 20, the next step will be track laying and decoration works, laying the foundation for the goal of achieving trial operation of the western section by the end of the year. According to metro staff, the western section refers to the line involving the nine elevated stations. Trial operation means non-passenger operation after system integration testing, and it is an important milestone before the line is officially opened for operation. It is not only a test of the quality of the metro construction project, but also a test of whether the operational organization plan, rules and regulations, and departmental coordination can meet the needs of metro operation. After the line is officially opened for operation, it will bring convenience to residents of the Economic and Technological Development Zone for public transportation.

According to reports, the first phase of Shenyang Metro Line 3 starts in the west at the BMW New Plant in Tiexi and ends at Xintai Street. The line passes through areas including BMW New City, Sino-German Industrial Park, Sino-French Ecological Park, Yuhong New City, Huaxiang Residential Area, Shashan Residential Area, Wenhua Road Area, Nanta, Fangjialan, and Dongta, running roughly east-west.