Shenzhen will build a 4.3- billion-yuan (US$632-million) railway station in Longhua, Bao-an District, within three years, urban planners said at the weekend.

The railway station, to be called Shenzhen North Railway Station, will be the largest railway station in Shenzhen when it is completed in June in 2011, urban planners said.

The blueprint for the train station was approved Friday by a panel of 27 senior traffic designers, architects and public facility engineers in Shenzhen.

According to the plan, the station will have 11 platforms and 20 lines, mainly Shenzhen-Guangzhou and other inter-city express lines.

The station is expected to cut the journey between Longhua and western Kowloon in Hong Kong to 16 minutes. The journey between Longhua of Shenzhen and Guangzhou, meanwhile, will be cut to 25 minutes.

Shenzhen Metro Co. Ltd., which is responsible for the construction project, said it had begun clearing areas for the station. Some 80 million yuan has already been spent on the project.

Analysts say the station will greatly ease the pressure on Shenzhen Railway Station in Luohu. With only six lines, Shenzhen Railway Station is extremely crowded. During the Spring Festival travel peak, 50 percent of Shenzhen travelers have to transfer through Guangzhou.