Shanghai Airport Link station diagram.

On March 3, the reporter learned that the Shanghai Airport Link project, which connects the two major airports of Hongqiao and Pudong, recently broke ground with the first shovel of the shield launching shaft, marking the entry of this demonstration municipal railway line into the foundation pit excavation stage.

On February 28, excavators and crane hoists rumbled at the construction site of the Shanghai rail transit municipal line Airport Link project, kicking off the excavation of the shield launching shaft. The launching shaft foundation pit is 156 meters long with an excavation depth of 25.5 meters, and its edge is only 10.6 meters from the Shanghai-Hangzhou high-speed railway at the closest point. This foundation pit is one of the deepest excavations currently adjacent to a high-speed railway subgrade in China, with extremely strict requirements for high-speed rail track displacement control. Foundation pit construction is expected to be completed in September, with shield tunneling to begin before the end of the year.

The Shanghai Airport Link is one of the first 11 municipal railway demonstration lines designated in the National Development and Reform Commission's "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Development of Municipal (Suburban) Railways," and is the first newly built line in Shanghai's municipal railway network. The Shanghai Airport Link has a total length of 68.6 kilometers, passing through three districts of Shanghai—Minhang, Xuhui, and Pudong New Area—with 9 stations along the entire line: Hongqiao, Qibao, Huajing, Sanlin South, Zhangjiang, Resort Area, Pudong Airport, Planned Terminal, and Shanghai East. The design speed is 160 kilometers per hour. Upon completion, the Shanghai Airport Link will achieve rapid connectivity between Hongqiao International Airport and Pudong International Airport, with travel time between the two major comprehensive transport hubs controlled within 40 minutes. It will offer transfers with multiple existing and under-construction rail transit lines, facilitating travel for residents along the route and railway passengers.