On January 1, the first day of the New Year, visitors thronged Shapowei, while inside the enclosure near Chaozong Temple the construction site of Shapowei Station on the south extension of Xiamen Metro Line 3 was bustling with activity. A total of 190 builders remained at their posts in the 20-meter-deep station foundation pit, working hard amid a complex environment and multiple construction challenges.

     The south extension of Xiamen Metro Line 3 is 8.5 kilometers long and has five stations: Shapowei, Xiamen University, Baicheng, Zengcuoan and Shangli. Shapowei Station is the terminus, located on the south side of the intersection of Minzu Road and Chenggong Avenue and laid out north-south along Minzu Road. Its east side is adjacent to the street-facing houses on Minzu Road, and its south side extends directly into the Shapowei typhoon shelter.

     The special location subjects construction of Shapowei Station to multiple tests. The surrounding environment is extremely complex, with several cultural relic protection sites nearby and a densely populated, busy-traffic area. The geological conditions are equally challenging: the site contains thick layers of muddy clay and sand, and some sections pass beneath the Shapowei typhoon shelter and connect to the waters of Xiamen Port, with water levels significantly affected by tides, making foundation pit leakage likely. More challenging still, the station is surrounded by residential houses and old buildings constructed in the 1980s, which have weak seismic resistance and impose strict requirements on construction safety protection.

      Despite the many difficulties, the project is advancing steadily. In the section near the houses, AI monitoring devices are used for 24-hour real-time monitoring of settlement of the old buildings. The base slab has now been fully completed, and work on the side walls and middle slabs is being accelerated, with the main structure scheduled to be topped out in the first half of 2026. The cofferdam section is equipped with a pump house capable of tidal control to effectively cope with water level fluctuations caused by tides. The shield tunneling machine advancing from Xiamen University Station toward Shapowei Station is received in the cofferdam section and then turns around to continue toward Xiamen University Station. The left line of the Shapowei-Xiamen University section has already been holed through, and shield tunneling on the right line is expected to break through before the Spring Festival.

      Looking at the overall progress of the line, apart from Shapowei Station, the four stations of Xiamen University, Baicheng, Zengcuoan and Shangli have all been topped out and are fully carrying out mechanical and electrical equipment installation. Track-laying work across the entire line is 80 percent complete, and tracks are scheduled to reach Shapowei Station in the first half of 2026. Xiamen Metro Construction Company is making every effort to advance the project according to plan, laying a solid foundation for the early opening of the south extension of Metro Line 3 and the improvement of Xiamen's rail transit network.