Shenzhen's Qingshuihe area in Luohu district is undergoing a major transformation from a traditional warehousing and logistics zone into a modern digital industry hub, as construction of the Luohu North Station transit-oriented development (TOD) project gathers pace.

Leveraging the advantage of a four-line rail interchange, the district is advancing plans to build a digital headquarters hub, seen as a key engine supporting Luohu's efforts to develop a modern industrial system.

Underground, the Shenzhen–Shanwei High-Speed Railway, together with Metro Lines 14, 17 and 25, will form an integrated, multi-level transportation network. The system is expected to enable travel to the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone within 25 minutes and connect the Shenzhen–Hong Kong innovation and technology corridor within about 30 minutes, creating an efficient cross-regional commuting network.

Above ground, micro-circulation feeder bus services will provide seamless connections, meeting both cross-border business travel needs and daily commuting demand while improving overall accessibility across the area.

"We are promoting the concept of integrated station-city development to support Qingshuihe's goal of becoming a headquarters economy hub," said Fang Qiming, an engineer with the Comprehensive Planning Division of the Shenzhen Urban Transport Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd. "Through mixed-use developments above the transit hub, including high-end office buildings and research facilities, we aim to create integrated workspaces where strategic industries such as artificial intelligence and life sciences can benefit from having transport hubs below and offices above."

According to Li Jiahang, an official with the Planning and Construction Division of the Luohu Administration Bureau under the Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau, the TOD hub is reshaping Qingshuihe's former peripheral role as a logistics area. Once Luohu North Station becomes operational, the district is expected to evolve into a key intersection within the Shenzhen–Hong Kong cross-border commuting network.

The project will also help address gaps in eastern Shenzhen's rail transit system while serving as a crucial link connecting Hong Kong's research resources, Shenzhen's technology commercialization capabilities, and manufacturing bases in the Shenshan cooperation zone, Li said.

Among the planned rail lines, Metro Line 17 will provide direct access to Luohu Port, while Line 25 is set to extend south to Wenjindu Port and is being planned to connect with the eastern extension of Hong Kong's Northern Link. Once rail networks on both sides are interconnected, Qingshuihe and Hong Kong's research institutions and technology enterprises are expected to fall within a 30-minute transportation circle.

Looking ahead, Qingshuihe is poised to play a distinctive role within the Greater Bay Area's one-hour living circle, serving as a two-way gateway — linking industrial regions in eastern Guangdong to the north while connecting with Hong Kong's research and capital resources to the south — and facilitating the efficient flow of innovation and industry across the region.