Chinese Metro Transport News & Updates

[ahojunk]

Fujian Province welcomes first metro line
(Xinhua) 19:38, January 06, 2017

Southeastern China's Fujian Province Friday opened its first metro line in its capital city of Fuzhou.

The Subway Line 1 is 24.89 kilometers in length and serves 21 stations from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day.

It travels along the main traffic route between the south and north in the city.

Construction of the project began April 2011, and a southern section of the line opened for trial operation May last year.

About 260,000 commuters enjoyed free rides on the line during a 10-day pilot run before formal operation.

With the new metro, local residents can significantly shorten their travel time.

By taking the subway Lu Xiu'e saved almost an hour going to work.

"Taking the bus or driving are both tiring. I feel much more relaxed going by metro," she told Xinhua.

The design of Line 1 is a blend of Fuzhou's unique 2,200-year culture and history. Walls of the metro stations are decorated or carved with famous Fuzhou scenic spots such as the Hualin Temple, and trains are painted with renowned local cultural elements such as jasmine flowers and the Minjiang River Estuary wetlands.

"It was a pleasant trip. The train presented the characteristics of Fuzhou culture, and I feel like I can smell jasmine in the carriage," Chen Yamin, a local resident, told Xinhua.

Three other metro lines are also under construction in Fuzhou and will start operation by the end of 2020.

 

[JSCh]

Beijing has 350 km subway lines under construction in 2017
Source: Xinhua 2017-01-11 20:40:37

BEIJING, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The municipal government of Beijing said on Wednesday that 20 subway lines or sections, spanning over 350 kilometers, will be under construction in 2017.

Construction of two new subway lines, the 6.5-kilometer CBD line and the 6.1-kilometer branch line of the Yanfang Line, China's first driverless line, will kick off this year.

Three subway lines, the Yanfang line, Xijiao line and S1 line, with a total length of 34.6 kilometers will open this year.

Currently Beijing has 19 lines covering 574 kilometers in operation.

Yang Guangwu, engineer with the Beijing large projects construction headquarters office, said the city will pay more attention to energy conservation and convenience in the new round of subway construction. For example, more escalators and facilities for the disabled will be built.

 

[AndrewJin]

Wednesday, December 28, 2016, 12:08
HK: MTR’s South Island Line opens
By chinadailyasia.com

More photos on South Island Line.

Fujian Province welcomes first metro line
(Xinhua) 19:38, January 06, 2017

Southeastern China's Fujian Province Friday opened its first metro line in its capital city of Fuzhou.

The Subway Line 1 is 24.89 kilometers in length and serves 21 stations from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. every day.

It travels along the main traffic route between the south and north in the city.

Construction of the project began April 2011, and a southern section of the line opened for trial operation May last year.

About 260,000 commuters enjoyed free rides on the line during a 10-day pilot run before formal operation.

With the new metro, local residents can significantly shorten their travel time.

By taking the subway Lu Xiu'e saved almost an hour going to work.

"Taking the bus or driving are both tiring. I feel much more relaxed going by metro," she told Xinhua.

The design of Line 1 is a blend of Fuzhou's unique 2,200-year culture and history. Walls of the metro stations are decorated or carved with famous Fuzhou scenic spots such as the Hualin Temple, and trains are painted with renowned local cultural elements such as jasmine flowers and the Minjiang River Estuary wetlands.

"It was a pleasant trip. The train presented the characteristics of Fuzhou culture, and I feel like I can smell jasmine in the carriage," Chen Yamin, a local resident, told Xinhua.

Three other metro lines are also under construction in Fuzhou and will start operation by the end of 2020.

I'm a little surprised the first subway of Fujian Province is not in Xiamen City.

 

[ahojunk]

Does anyone have recent statistics on the length and number of stations of all the metro/subway lines in China's cities?

@AndrewJin @cirr @TaiShang @JSCh

 

[ahojunk]

Nanjing subway Line 4 starts trial operation
2017-01-18 16:18 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

Nanjing subway Line 4 is 33.8-kilometer in length and started trial operation on Wednesday.

Trains run on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. The 33.8-kilometer subway line started trial operation on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Xin)

Inside a train on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Xin)

Passengers in a train on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. The 33.8-kilometer subway line started trial operation on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Liu Jianhua)

 

[AndrewJin]

Nanjing subway Line 4 starts trial operation
2017-01-18 16:18 | Xinhua | Editor:Xu Shanshan

Nanjing subway Line 4 is 33.8-kilometer in length and started trial operation on Wednesday.

View attachment 369421
Trains run on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. The 33.8-kilometer subway line started trial operation on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Wang Xin)


View attachment 369422
Inside a train on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. (Xinhua/Wang Xin)


View attachment 369427
Passengers in a train on Subway Line 4 in Nanjing, capital of east China's Jiangsu Province, Jan. 18, 2017. The 33.8-kilometer subway line started trial operation on Wednesday. (Xinhua/Liu Jianhua)

Good news.
Now, Wuhan, Nanjing and Chongqing are competing for the first place in tier 2 cities in terms of metro construction.

 

[TaiShang]

China-made maglev to increase its speed to 600km/h

(People's Daily Online) February 06, 2017

In the next few years, the speed of China’s maglev is expected to increase to 400 km/h, and perhaps as high as 600 km/h, a lab with Chinese Academy of Sciences told CCTV.

The lab, which specializes in high-speed train research and is under the Institute of Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed that the national rail project will focus on developing high-speed trains with a speed of 400 km/h and maglev trains with a speed of 600 km/h in five years, and they may be put into service soon afterward.

So far, China has launched a maglev train in Shanghai, and its first commercially operated demonstration line with fully independent intellectual property rights was also put into trial operation in Central China's Changsha in May 2016. The province of Shandong wants to build a high-speed maglev system from Jinan to Qingdao as well.

China has included the development of high-speed maglev trains with speeds of 600 km/h into its 13th Five-Year Plan.

China-made maglev to increase its speed to 600km/h

(People's Daily Online) February 06, 2017

In the next few years, the speed of China’s maglev is expected to increase to 400 km/h, and perhaps as high as 600 km/h, a lab with Chinese Academy of Sciences told CCTV.

The lab, which specializes in high-speed train research and is under the Institute of Mechanics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, revealed that the national rail project will focus on developing high-speed trains with a speed of 400 km/h and maglev trains with a speed of 600 km/h in five years, and they may be put into service soon afterward.

So far, China has launched a maglev train in Shanghai, and its first commercially operated demonstration line with fully independent intellectual property rights was also put into trial operation in Central China's Changsha in May 2016. The province of Shandong wants to build a high-speed maglev system from Jinan to Qingdao as well.

China has included the development of high-speed maglev trains with speeds of 600 km/h into its 13th Five-Year Plan.

 

[AndrewJin]

4 Subways will open in Central China's biggest city in 2017!
Line 1 (4th extension) Line 7 Line 8 Line 21

 

[AndrewJin]

Shenyang Tram in Winter
Shenyang, Liaoning Province, Northeast China

Pls note that there is no overhead line at the crossing, enabled by super capacitors.

 

[AndrewJin]

Hubei Province' second metro system approved
Subway Line 2 in Yichang City
16.1 billion yuan investment

 

[AndrewJin]

Metro ranking by length in mainland China
(By Jan 2017, excluding trams, BRTs and intercity HSRs)

1, Shanghai, 15 lines, 617km, Eastern China
2, Beijing, 19 lines, 573km, Northern China
3, Guangzhou, 10 lines, 287km, Southern China
4, Shenzhen, 8 lines, 285km, Southern China
5, Nanjing, 6 lines, 224km, Eastern China
6, Chongqing, 4 lines, 213km, Western China
7, Wuhan, 5lines, 181km, Central China
8, Tianjin, 5 lines, 166km, Northern China
9, Dalian, 4 lines, 140km, Northeastern China
10, Chengdu, 4 lines, 108km, Western China

All together, 28 cities, 112 lines, 3665 km in operation.

Several thousand km of metro are under construction in 2017.

Metro in Chongqing, Western China

Subway in Nanning, Western China

Subway station in Wuhan, Central China

 

[JSCh]

Mar 10, 2017 03:48 PM
Southern Chinese Metropolis Rolls Out World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Rail
By Yang Ge

CRRC plans to build the world’s first-ever commuter system powered by ultralight hydrogen gas, whose only emission is water. Photo: Caixin

(Beijing) — The southern city of Foshan is bringing new meaning to the term “light rail,” with plans to build the world’s first-ever commuter system powered by ultralight hydrogen gas.

The new line will use hydrogen fuel cell technology, whose only emission is water, and is being built by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd., a unit of CRRC Corp. Ltd., the nation’s leading maker of high-speed rail and associated equipment, the company said on Friday.

A demonstration model of the trains was first rolled out in the coastal city of Qingdao in 2015, but the Foshan project will mark the world’s first deployment of a full-scale commercial system. The trains can travel at speeds of up to 70 kph.

“Hydrogen-powered rail is a new kind of electric train, different from other systems,” the CRRC unit said. “It uses hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity, giving it not only more range but also eliminating the need for electrified track.”

At a total length of 17.4 km, the new system will be built in two phases in Foshan’s Gaoming district at a cost of about 760 million yuan ($109.9 million). Upon completion, it will feature 20 stations, with an average distance of 640 meters between stations. Construction on the first phase began at the end of last month and is expected to be complete by next year.

China has embarked on an aggressive campaign to promote new-energy transportation in a bid to clean up the country’s polluted air and develop cutting-edge technologies that can be exported. Most efforts to date have focused on battery-powered electric cars, and hybrids that are powered by both batteries and traditional fossil fuels.

Municipal governments have been one of the biggest buyers of the technology since they have the resources to build necessary infrastructure like charging stations and maintenance facilities. Foshan is one of three of the largest cities in affluent Guangdong province that plans to upgrade its entire public-bus fleet to electric-powered vehicles by 2020 — part of an ambitious plan to make three-quarters of public buses in the province powered by clean energy over the next five years.

While cities have embraced the technology, enthusiasm has been lower among ordinary consumers due to the relative lack of infrastructure and unfamiliarity with the technology.

 

[AndrewJin]

When you have your own independent industry, purchasing trains is investing in your country, in your city.
肥水不外流

Dalian City purchases trams from CRRC Dalian Company

Dalian City, Northeast China

 

[cirr]

Mar 27, 2017 07:16 PM

Beijing to Inaugurate First Driverless Subway Line

By Coco Feng

The Yanfang Line, currently under construction, will be Beijing's first driverless subway line when it opens. Photo: Visual China

(Beijing) — The first driverless subway line in China’s capital will open this year, a cost-saving move that the developers say reduces human error but critics warn could result in accidents and will lead to painful layoffs.

The new, nine-station Yanfang Line will cover 10 miles in southwestern Beijing, running at up to 60 mph, the state-owned Xinhua News Agency reported. A command center will control its speed, braking and doors, and even wash the trains, the news outlet said.

Some subway lines in Beijing are already automated, but a driver monitors them.

In addition to being a first for China’s capital, the subway line will be the first developed by a group of Chinese firms, led by Beijing MTR Construction Administration Co. and train maker CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd.

For example, Shanghai and Guangzhou have driverless subways that were developed and produced by French rail transport producer Alstom SA and Canada’s Bombardier Inc. respectively.

The driverless system can help reduce risks due to human error, Xinhua reported, citing the rail developers.

China has made a mark globally with its manufacture and export of high-speed trains. But it still is behind on driverless trains compared with Europe, where driverless trains have been in action for nearly two decades. Paris introduced the first such train, Ligne 14, in 1998, when Beijing had only two lines—with drivers.

Liu Lekai, a Beijing resident, said he is excited about the new line and looks forward to seeing how the new technology changes life.

But some experts say the technology won’t be adopted quickly throughout Beijing. Passenger flow in Beijing is huge, and a driver can be useful in certain emergencies, said Zhao Jian, director of China Urban Research Center at Beijing Jiaotong University.

Beijing currently has 15 lines, which carried an average 8 million passengers a day in 2016, according to data from the operator Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Co. Ltd. During rush hour at some stations, people have to wait for two or three trains before they can board.

Some subway users say they worry about possible safety issues.

Guan Siqi, who lives where the new subway line will be, said she feels certain circumstances need a driver’s judgment. “Trains are now already overloaded with commuters, and unexpected things, such as doors being forced to open (by passengers) and emergency brakes (needing to be applied), usually happen, which requires drivers for safety issues,” Guan said.

Guan said people had faith in China’s advanced technology, but still, the Wenzhou rail crash took place in 2011. Two high-speed trains collided in the southeast Zhejiang province after the one in the lead was struck by lightning and was then rear-ended by the train behind it, killing dozens of people.

A similar accident occurred with two driverless subway trains in Shanghai that collided in 2011, injuring at least 270 people.

To ensure safety, the new driverless underground train in Beijing will be equipped with an emergency braking system that can stop the running compartments once it hits obstacles or derails, Xinhua reported.

If it works well, it may lead other lines in Beijing to adopt the technology, Xinhua reported.

But the move away from humans to machines prompts some worries.

“As a populous country, if everything is automated, everyone will end up jobless,” a Beijinger said, who asked for anonymity.

http://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-03-27/101070981.html

 

[ahojunk]

High-speed commuter train rolls off production line
Xinhua, April 1, 2017

China's first high-speed commuter train rolls off production line. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's very first high-speed commuter train officially came off the production line of China Railway Rolling Stock Corp (CRRC) Qingdao Sifang Co, Ltd. on March 31, ready to fill a gap in the country's commuter railway offerings.

Commuter rails are a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates between the city centers and suburbs of major metropolises. Offering both speed and capacity, commuter rail systems normally cover routes stretching between 50 and 100 kilometers.

According to He Danlu, senior designer at CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co, Ltd., the commuter high-speed train is specifically tailored for urban usage, and it combines the features of high-speed trains with those of subway cars. It is able to satisfy requirements for speed, capacity, public transportation and comfort.

The new commuter trains are able to run at a maximum speed of 140 kilometers per hour, about four times the speed of subways. The average speed is around 55 kilometers per hour, though that figure goes up to 80 when the train runs between major stations that are far apart. The new system is expected to be put into service in Wenzhou city in southeast China in 2018.

China's first high-speed commuter train rolls off production line. [Photo/Xinhua]