The first tunnel‑boring machine, named "Shen'an No.1," has begun excavation work for Shanghai Metro Line 20, marking that all urban subway projects approved under the 14th Five‑Year Plan have entered the shield‑tunneling phase.
Running across northern downtown Shanghai, the new orbital line will connect five districts including Putuo, expanding the service reach and influence of Zhenru Urban Sub‑center, as multi‑layer transport infrastructure fuels vigorous growth across the area.
The Putuo section of Metro Line 20 stretches about 5.3 kilometers, covering five stations including Jiaotong Road, Shanghai West Railway Station, Zhenhua Road, Xincun Road, Pingli Road, plus the Zhenru Depot for train parking and inspection.
Serving as a critical transport hub, Shanghai West Railway Station will realize in‑station transfers with Metro Lines 11 and 15, while offering convenient connections to Lines 7 and 14 nearby. The integrated hub will streamline transfers among intercity railways, urban metro, taxis, private‑vehicle parking and long‑distance buses, greatly upgrading its comprehensive transport capacity.
Beyond rail transit, Zhenru Urban Sub‑center is carrying out sweeping upgrades for both underground and surface traffic networks.
Beneath the ground, a 4.9‑kilometer‑long one‑way dual‑lane underground public vehicle passage is under construction in the core zone.
Bounded by Zhenhua Road to the east, Nanzheng Road to the south, Lanxi Road to the west and Chaozhou Road to the north, the loop links 17 major land plots including Zhenru Unipark MAX and Sams Club, covering roughly 15,000 underground parking berths.
According to officials from the Zhenru sub‑center project department, the underground corridor will improve traffic flexibility and lift the overall transport efficiency of Zhenru upon completion. Except for the "Heart of Zhenru" plot, the underground loop has achieved full breakthrough.
Workers are now carrying out interior renovation, traffic sign installation, and building supporting digital systems including underground navigation and an integrated monitoring platform.
On the ground, a batch of new municipal roads have been opened to remove transport bottlenecks, including Zhenhua Rd S., Jingning Road, Nanzheng Road and Ningchuan Road. These arterial roads connect with Wuning Expressway and Tongchuan Road and lay solid infrastructure support for local urban development.
The auxiliary lane of Zhenhua Rd S. (from Guangzhi Road to planned Fucun Road), which opened in February this year, extends 736 meters. It provides the main access for Putuo Science and Technology School Affiliated to Shanghai Normal University, whose junior high campus will welcome its first students this September.
The newly‑built roadway is equipped with rainwater pipelines, street lighting, barrier‑free sidewalks and traffic signs, alongside multi‑level green belts forming scenic eco‑corridors. Construction of Guangzhi Road (from Nanshi No.1 Road to Caoyang Road), a 223‑meter urban branch road, is also in steady progress to improve accessibility for future residential compounds and office towers near the "Heart of Zhenru."
As the one‑hour metropolitan transport circle of the Yangtze River Delta gradually takes shape, underground passages enable seamless links between core business zones. The three‑tier transport system combining metro tunnels, underground vehicle corridors and ground streets is accelerating Zhenru Sub‑center's development, lifting both its spatial value and operational efficiency.
