????Luo Songsong ????songsongluo@126.com ????PINGSHAN New Area entered the era of high-speed travel Saturday, when the first high-speed train from Fuzhou South Station stopped at Shenzhen’s Pingshan Railway Station at 1:05 p.m. ????On the border between Pingshan and Longgang District, the station is the first stop in Shenzhen for inbound passengers on the Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed rail line, which can run up to 12 pairs of trains per day. ????The fare for a second-class seat from Pingshan Station to Shenzhen North Station is 10.5 yuan (US$1.70), while a first-class seat for the 37-km trip costs 13.5 yuan. The travel time from Shenzhen North Station to Pingshan station is 24 minutes. ????Pingshan station director Xie Mingjun said the station saw about 1,000 passengers Saturday. Xie said that number should grow markedly as the Spring Festival nears. ????Public transportation near the station includes seven buses around the city. Buses M293, 978, M422, B811 and M427 travel within Pingshan while routes M359 and M426 offer service to Henggang, Pinghu, Guanlan and Dapeng New Area. Passengers can exit the Longcheng Square and Shuanglong Metro stations on the Longgang Line to take bus M359 to the station. ????As an important transportation hub on the eastern side of Shenzhen, the Pingshan station will eventually be a stop on Metro Line 12, which is still under planning, and is expected to be a stop on a future high-speed rail line that will connect Guangdong and Jiangxi provinces. ????“Its operation not only brings convenience to residents but also is a great opportunity to further promote and develop the area,” said Yang Xusong, Party chief of Pingshan New Area. ? | 