A subway extension and a rapid transit bus system will be completed in Fengxian District by the end of the year to cut the time taken between downtown and the far-south coastal district to half an hour, officials said.

The Fengxian-section of Metro Line 5’s southern extension will have six stations running through the district’s Fengpu area, Jinhai Lake, Nanqiao Town and Haiwan area, which hosts three university campuses in addition to the city’ Blue Sea Golden Sand Water Park.

The district government yesterday released the construction progress on the infrastructure and urban development to attract investors and entrepreneurs.

The section is set to begin a trial operation by the end of the year, He Dongbin, general manager with Fengxian New City Construction and Development Company, told a promotion conference.

Meanwhile, Shanghai’s first bus rapid transit system (BRT) route, which extends 33.5 kilometers, will begin running by the end of 2017 to connect Fengxian with neighboring Minhang District and the Pudong New Area, He said. Buses would travel between Nanqiao New Town and the Oriental Sports Center, with 27 stops.

The line will be operated by 12-meter and 18-meter buses. Passengers will pass through turnstiles, as they do on the Metro, to enter BRT stations.

“With the new Metro line and BRT system, it will take roughly 35 minutes to shuttle between Fengxian and downtown areas,” said the district director Hua Yuan. It currently takes at least an hour to drive to the district from downtown People’s Square.

The district government yesterday invited a dozen enterprises to sign agreements with 13 towns and development zones to drive the development of Fengxian.

The government also awarded 100 outstanding companies based in the district who have contributed the most to the district’s revenues.

The outskirt district set a new record in 2016, achieving 30 billion yuan (US$4.4 billion) in fiscal revenue.