CHINA: The annual flurry of June metro extensions saw over 100 route-km of new infrastructure enter service in Chongqing, Nanchang, Guangzhou and Tianshui this year.
On June 27, a 6·9 km branch of Chongqing metro Line 6 opened, linking Liujiaping on the existing route with the new main line station at Chongqing Dong, serving two intermediate stops. The first section of the Chongqing Dong – Xiamen high speed line opened as far as Changsha the same day. Chongqing Dong will in future also be served by local Line 24 and express cross-city Line 27 metro routes, both currently under construction.
The next day Nanchang Rail Transit added 31·6 km and 19 stations to its metro network. Line 2 was extended 10·5 km southeast from Xinjia’an to Nanchang Dong Railway Station, providing a metro connection for the city’s second high speed station which opened in December 2023. Line 1 was extended at both ends: 16·8 km north from Shuanggang to Changbei Airport, and 4·3 km east from Yaohu Lake Xi to Maqiu. Line 1 is now 49·8 km long with an end-to-end journey time of 85 minutes, and Line 2 is now 45·1 km long. Since opening in 2015 Nanchang’s metro has expanded to four lines totalling 160 route-km.
Also on June 28 Guangzhou added two new lines 10 and 12 to its network, which now comprises 19 lines with a total length of 751·1 km. The 17·2 km initial section of the southwest-northeast Line 10 links Xilang and Yangji East. From here a 2·1 km connection is under construction east to Shipaiqiao on the Line 3 branch line from Tiyu Xilu to Tianhe Coach Terminal, which will transfer to Line 10 on completion. The outer ends of Line 12 also opened, but pending completion of the 9·7 km north-south city centre section they are operated independently. Line 12 West links Xunfenggang and Guangzhou Gymnasium, whilst Line 12 East runs from Ersha Island to the Higher Education Mega Centre South; both sections have nine stations.
The second route of Guangzhou’s Huangpu tram network was inaugurated on June 20. Running east from the metro Line 6 station at Xiangxue to Kaiyuan Dong Lu, the 4·9 km line has six intermediate stops. From here a 9·5 km part-elevated route south to Nangang on metro Line 13 is under construction with 11 stops.
Two extensions to the tram network in Tianshui, Gansu province, were opened on on June 18. Opened in 2020, the original line has been extended west by 11·9 km from Wulipu to Jingkunxijun Tianshui No.3 Middle School. A 5·3 km branch southeast from Yangpo Dong to Tianshui Airport has also opened. These extensions have triggered a reorganisation of operations, with the section of original line from Yangpo Dong to Tianshui Station now operated as Line 2, with the rest of the 30·1 km system becoming Line 1.
