Shenzhen Metro Line 5, runs West–East from Chiwan to Huangbeiling forming an arc around central Shenzhen. It opened on 22 June 2011. Line 5's color is purple. Line 5 is an important east west and orbital line that connects various sub-centers of Shenzhen. This led to Line 5 being heavily used. In 2014, average daily ridership exceeded 500,000 people, with over 1 million passengers using the line on 20 July 2018, setting a new record. Since 2019, Line 5 has surpassed Line 1 as the busiest line in the Shenzhen Metro network. By 2021, the line regularly carries well over 1 million passengers every day and reaching the predicted long term daily passenger volume.

Shenzhen Metro Line 1 runs West–East from Airport East to Luohu. Line 1 is shown as green on maps, however the band on both sides of the trains is coloured red. Traditionally, it is the most heavily used metro line on the Shenzhen Metro, serving an average of 960,000 people daily in 2014. It has since been surpassed by Line 5, but still averages over 1 million passengers per day as of March 2021, despite this number being under COVID measures.