The Guangzhou Metro () ( and ) is the
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system of the city of
Guangzhou
Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
in
Guangdong
Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
Province of China. It is operated by the state-owned Guangzhou Metro Corporation and was the fourth metro system to be built in
mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
, after those of
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popul ...
, and
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
.
The earliest efforts to build an
underground rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system in Guangzhou date back to 1960. In the two decades that followed, the project was brought into the agenda five times but ended up abandoned each time due to financial and technical difficulties. Preparation of what would lead to today's Guangzhou Metro did not start until the 1980s, and it was not until 1993 that construction of the first line, Line 1, officially began. Line 1 opened four years later in 1997 with five stations in operation.
, Guangzhou Metro has 16 lines in operation, namely:
Line 1,
Line 2,
Line 3,
Line 4,
Line 5,
Line 6,
Line 7,
Line 8,
Line 9,
Line 13,
Line 14,
Line 18,
Line 21,
Line 22,
Guangfo Line, and
Zhujiang New Town APM reaching both the urban core and surrounding suburbs. Guangfo Line connects Guangzhou and Foshan and is the first metro line between two cities in the country.
Daily service hours start at 6:00 am and end at midnight and daily ridership averages over 7 million.
Having delivered 3.029 billion rides in 2018, Guangzhou Metro is the
third busiest metro system in the world and the 3rd largest in terms of length, after the metro systems of
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
and
Shanghai
Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...
. Guangzhou Metro operates 302 stations
and
of lines.
Extensive development of the metro network has been planned for the next decade, with construction started on
Line 10,
Line 11, and
Line 12, and extensions of Line 3, Line 5, Line 8, Line 13, and Line 14,
Line 18,
Line 22, as well as the extension of
Line 7 into
Shunde District
Shunde District, also known as Shuntak, is a District (PRC), district of the city of Foshan, Guangdong province, located in the Pearl River Delta. It had a population of 2,464,784 as of the 2010 census. Once a traditional agricultural county, it ...
of
Foshan
Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
.
History
Forays of the 1960s and 1970s
Chen Yu (), Governor of Guangdong in 1957–1967, was the first to have proposed an underground metro system for Guangzhou. In the summer of 1960, he ordered a secret geological survey of groundwater levels of Guangzhou. Six holes with an accumulated depth of were drilled in the
karst
Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...
and
alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. A floodplain is part of the process, being the sma ...
s in the city. The geological conditions of Guangzhou, despite their complexity, did not preclude the possibility of an underground metro system. Analysis of the survey data resulted in a confidential report titled ''Geological Survey for Guangzhou Underground Railway Project'' dated July 1961, the earliest one of such reports.
In 1965, Chen Yu along with
Tao Zhu
Tao Zhu (; 16 January 1908 – 30 November 1969) was a member of the Politburo Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party .
Biography
Born in Qiyang, Hunan, Tao Zhu was Secretary of the Guangdong Provincial Committee and Commander of the ...
(), who had been the Governor of Guangdong and First Secretary of Guangdong Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...
, proposed in the wake of the
Gulf of Tonkin incident
The Gulf of Tonkin incident ( vi, Sự kiện Vịnh Bắc Bộ) was an international confrontation that led to the United States engaging more directly in the Vietnam War. It involved both a proven confrontation on August 2, 1964, carried out b ...
that a tunnel is built in Guangzhou for wartime evacuations and post-war metro development. Approved by the
central government
A central government is the government that is a controlling power over a unitary state. Another distinct but sovereign political entity is a federal government, which may have distinct powers at various levels of government, authorized or dele ...
, the project started in the spring of 1965. Due to its confidentiality in the context of intensification of the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
, the project adopted the obscure name of "Project Nine" (), where "Nine" was the number of strokes in "", the Chinese word for "underground".
As envisaged by Chen Yu, the metro system of Guangzhou would consist of two lines: a north–south line that would connect Nanfang Building to Sanyuanli via Renmin Lu and Jiefang Beilu, and an east–west line that would run from Xichang to
Dongshan along today's Dongfeng Lu. The two lines roughly parallelled Line 2 and Line 1 of the modern days, respectively. The east-west line was never built, while Project Nine was dedicated to the north–south line. Over ten teams of miners were recruited for a project filled with hazards and perils. Constrained by extreme scarcity of time, monetary and material resources, the ambition to build a tunnel for the metro operation was scaled back— the capability to run trolleybuses was deemed acceptable. For ¥13 million, an long tunnel was completed in 1966. The tunnel was planned to be used as an air-raid shelter and eventual metro line; however, with a cross-section merely 3 m wide and 2.85 m tall, and exposed rocks and wooden trestles scattered everywhere, it was unusable for public transit. In the two decades that followed, four attempts were made to revive and expand Project Nine, first in 1970, next in 1971, then in 1974, and last in 1979. Due to lack of funds and complex geotechnical conditions, none of these efforts materialized.
Construction of Line 1
The metro project of Guangzhou was launched for the sixth time in 1984 as the Preparation Office of Guangzhou Metro, established back in 1979 as part of the last attempt to resurrect Project Nine, was moved out of the civil air-defense system and became a subordinate body of the Construction Commission of Guangzhou, bringing Guangzhou Metro into the scope of urban infrastructure development. Before the 1980s, war preparedness was the dominant tenet of underground infrastructure projects in mainland China. The construction of Guangzhou Metro marked the first deviation from the old doctrine as traffic itself became the prime consideration of the project.
![Guangzhou Metro 1988 route proposal en](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Guangzhou_Metro_1988_route_proposal_en.svg)
The design of the initial metro network was a collaborative effort between China and France (
SYSTRA
SYSTRA is a multinational engineering and consulting group in the mobility sector, whose fields of activity include rail and public transport. In 2019, it employed a staff of about 7,300 people, and is a limited company which shareholders includ ...
). Four tentative designs were published on 14 March 1988 edition of ''
Guangzhou Daily
''Guangzhou Daily'' or Guangzhou Ribao (), also known as ''Canton Daily'', is the official newspaper of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the Chinese Communist Party (中共广州市委). Established on December 1, 1952, the newspaper is owned ...
''. From the four designs, one was selected based on expert and mass feedback. The selected design, featuring two intersecting lines, was the baseline typology for today's Line 1 and Line 2.
Construction of Line 1 officially commenced on 28 December 1993, although work on a trial section at
Huangsha had begun in October 1992, five months before the feasibility study of the line was ratified by the State Planning Commission in March 1993. Various technologies novel to China's construction industry at the time were adopted in different sections of the project, notably including
immersed tube
An immersed tube (or immersed tunnel) is a kind of undersea tunnel composed of segments, constructed elsewhere and floated to the tunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together. They are commonly used for road and rail crossings of r ...
s (Pearl River Tunnel) and
tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine (TBM), also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They may also be used for microtunneling. They can be designed to bore throu ...
s (Huangsha–
Martyrs' Park section). As the most massive urban infrastructure project in the history of Guangzhou, Line 1 required funding of
¥12.75 billion, all of which was raised by the local government. Use of
cut-and-cover
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube constr ...
tunnels aggressively backed by then-mayor
Li Ziliu necessitated the relocation of approximately 100,000 residents in 20,000 households and demolition of buildings totalling in the area and earned Li the nickname "Li the Demolisher" ( yue, 黎拆樓, translit=lai
4 caak
3 lau
2).
Three and a half years after construction started, the section from
Xilang to Huangsha opened for trial operation on 28 June 1997. The remaining , from Huangsha to
Guangzhou East railway station
Guangzhoudong (Guangzhou East) railway station (), formerly known as Tianhe railway station () serves the city of Guangzhou, located in the city's Tianhe District.
The railway, metro, and bus terminal stations is interconnected as a single stat ...
, was completed eighteen months later on 28 December 1998. The entire line opened for sightseeing tours between 16 February and 2 March 1999, delivering 1.39 million rides 15 days before closing for final testing. Operation of Line 1 officially began on 28 June 1999, 34 years after the start of Project Nine in 1965.
Accelerated expansion in the 2000s
![Guangzhou metro evolution](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Guangzhou_metro_evolution.gif)
The success of Line 1 as a
turnkey project acquired from
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
with 100% imported electromechanical equipment prompted a wave of similar proposals from twelve other cities in mainland China toward the end of the 1990s. The fever for import-centric rapid transit caused the State Planning Committee to temporarily halt approval of rapid transit projects nationwide and regulate the localization rates of rolling stock suppliers. Amid tightened regulation, only Line 2 of Guangzhou Metro received the immediate green light to proceed in June 1998 on the condition that at least 60% of its electromechanical equipment must be sourced domestically.
Construction of Line 2 started in July 1998. Rolling stock manufacturer
Bombardier airlifted the first two train cars in an
An-124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, , Ruslan; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukraini ...
from Berlin to Guangzhou in November 2002 after schedule delays. The first section, from
Sanyuanli to
Xiaogang opened on 29 December 2002; the remaining section from Xiaogang to
Pazhou
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships partic ...
opened on 28 June 2003.
At ¥2.13 billion, the equipment cost of Line 2 was 53% lower than that of Line 1. This demonstrated the feasibility of cost reduction through procurement of domestic equipment, revealing a path to project approval to other Chinese cities and reigniting their aspirations to own a rapid transit system.
The renewed craze for rapid transit across the country soon encountered a new round of tightened control on project approval around 2003. But Guangzhou was exempted along with Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
By the time Line 2 was completed, construction of Line 3, Line 4, and Guangfo Line had been underway,
among which only Guangfo Line later fell to stringent regulation of approvals.
Lines in operation
Line 1
![Tianhe Sports Center Station Platform](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f8/Tianhe_Sports_Center_Station_Platform.jpg)
Line 1 runs from Xilang to Guangzhou East railway station, with a total length of .
Except for
Kengkou and Xilang, all stations in Line 1 are underground. Its first section, from Xilang to Huangsha, opened on 28 June 1997, making Guangzhou the fourth city in mainland China to have a metro system. The full line started operation two years later on 28 June 1999. Line 1's color is
yellow.
Line 2
![Nanpustation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Platform_2%2C_Nanpu_Station%2C_Guangzhou_Metro_20101112.jpg)
Line 2 is a north–south line that runs from Jiahewanggang to Guangzhou South railway station. Until 21 September 2010, it ran from
Sanyuanli to Wanshengwei. Its first section, between Sanyuanli and
Xiaogang, opened on 29 December 2002. It was extended from Xiaogang to
Pazhou
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships partic ...
on 28 June 2003 and further to Wanshengwei a year later. The section between Xiaogang and Wanshengwei was split off to form part of Line 8 during 22–24 September 2010, when the operation was paused. The latest extension, from
Jiangnanxi to
Guangzhou South railway station and from
Sanyuanli to
Jiahewanggang, opened on 25 September 2010 as the whole line resumed operation. The length of the current line is . All stations in Line 2 are underground. Line 2's color is
deep blue.
Line 3
![GZMTR Airport N](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d1/GZMTR_Airport_N._Station_Platform_1_2018_04.jpg)
Line 3 is a Y-shaped line connecting
Airport North and Tianhe Coach Terminal to Panyu Square. All stations in the line are underground. When the line opened on 26 December 2005, trains operated between Guangzhou East railway station and
Kecun. Following completion of the Tianhe Coach Terminal–Tiyu Xilu and Kecun–Panyu Square sections, the line was rerouted on 30 December 2006 to offer transfer-free connections between Panyu Square and Tianhe Coach Terminal via Tiyu Xilu. The Guangzhou East railway station–Tiyu Xilu section became a shuttle until it was extended northwards to Airport South on 30 October 2010. In official distinctions, the main route consists of the entire Tianhe Coach Terminal–Panyu Square section, while the Airport South–Tiyu Xilu section is a spur line. The spur line will be split off in the long term to form part of Line 10.
Line 3 had been notorious for its crowding since it opened, for it ran three-car trains. That was partly relieved when all three-car trains started operating as six-car ones, connected in sets of two, on 28 April 2010. Sectional services between Tonghe to Dashi are added from 7:30 to 8:30 every workday, partly solving the capacity issues. Despite these changes, as of 2018, the line is still severely overcrowded. Line 3's color is
bright orange.
Line 4
![Nansha Passange Port Station Platform 1 Part 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Nansha_Passenger_Port_Station_Platform_1_Part_2.jpg)
Line 4 is a north-south line running parallel to Line 2 along the east of the city. It is long with 24 stations. The section of the line from
Huangcun to
Xinzao,
Feishajiao to
Nansha Passenger Port are built underground, while that from Xinzao to Jinzhou is built at the
elevated track
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
. It was the first metro line in mainland China to use
linear motor
A linear motor is an electric motor that has had its stator and rotor "unrolled", thus, instead of producing a torque (rotation), it produces a linear force along its length. However, linear motors are not necessarily straight. Characteristicall ...
trains. Its first section, from Wanshengwei to Xinzao, opened on 26 December 2005. Southwards, it was extended from Xinzao to
Huangge on 30 December 2006 and further to Jinzhou on 28 June 2007. Northwards, it was extended to Chebeinan on 28 December 2009. Southwards, it extended from Chebeinan to Huangcun, opened on 25 September 2010. Its latest extension, from Huangcun to Nansha Passenger Port, opened on 27 December 2017. Line 4's color is
green.
Line 5
![Sanxi Station Platform For Jiaokou](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Sanxi_Station_Platform_For_Jiaokou.JPG)
The long Line 5 starts at Jiaokou and runs to Wenchong. It entered operation on 28 December 2009. All stations in the line except Jiaokou and
Tanwei are underground. Until Line 8 was split off from Line 2, it was the only line that interchanged with all other lines. Similar to Line 4, Line 5 also uses linear motor trains. Line 5's color is
red.
Line 6
![ZikMatJyunZaam Platform](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/ZikMatJyunZaam_Platform.jpg)
The first stage of Line 6, a long phase one runs from
Xunfenggang to
Changban with 22 stations. It began service on 28 December 2013 and contains three elevated stations along the route. Construction of a 10-station, long extension to Xiangxue from Changban is entered revenue service in 2016. The line runs four-car trains, but stations of the east extension starting with South China Botanical Garden will be constructed with a provision to accommodate six-car trains in preparation for a route split in the future.
Line 6's color is
maroon.
Line 7
![Platform 1, Chencun Station, Guangzhou Metro 20220503](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Platform_1%2C_Chencun_Station%2C_Guangzhou_Metro_20220503.jpg)
The first phase of Line 7 began service on 28 December 2016 and runs from
Guangzhou South railway station to
Higher Education Mega Center South in
Panyu District
Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...
throughout when completed. Six-car trains are used. All nine stations are underground.
The planned second phase will extend the line by and eleven more stations to reach north of the Pearl River and go deep to Huangpu district, providing interchanges with Line 5 at
Dashadong, the planned east extension of Line 8 at Changzhou and Line 13 at Fengle Lu. Line 7's color is
light green.
Line 8
![Julong Station Platform 2 202011](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Julong_Station_Platform_2_202011.jpg)
The first section of Line 8, from Xiaogang to Wanshengwei, opened in 2002 and ran as part of Line 2 until the extension to the line was completed in September 2010. Line 8 ran from Fenghuang Xincun to Wanshengwei. The section from Changgang to Wanshengwei opened on 25 September 2010 when the split-off from Line 2 was complete. The section west of Changgang did not open until 3 November 2010 due to disputes over the environmental impact of the cooling facilities at
Shayuan.
The remaining section from Fenghuang Xincun to
Cultural Park
Culture park ( pl, park kulturowy), in Poland, is a designation in the heritage register for cultural landscape-level objects of cultural heritage in Poland.
, the National Heritage Board of Poland listed 38 culture parks. (The list is indecisive ...
and Cultural Park to
Jiaoxin are opened on 28 December 2019 and 26 November 2020 separately. Line 8's color is
teal.
Line 9
![Ma'anshan Park Station Platform 1 2018 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Ma%27anshan_Park_Station_Platform_1_2018_03.jpg)
The long underground route is operated by six-car trains, which runs from
Fei'eling to
Gaozeng, serving 10 stations. The line, other than
Qingtang station, went operational on 28 December 2017. Line 9 mainly serves as a link for the passengers of
Huadu District and
Guangzhou North railway station
Guangzhou North railway station () is a railway station in Huadu District in northern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, opened in 1908.
The station is served both by the high-speed trains of the Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway
Th ...
to the rest of the system, having only one transfer station with
Line 3 at
Gaozeng. After the Tianhe Coach Terminal–Tiyu Xilu spur line of Line 3 is split off to form part of Line 10, the line is expected to be connected into Line 3 using the reserved
switches
In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type of ...
at Gaozeng to become a new spur line. Line 9's color is
pale green.
Line 13
![Nanhai God Temple Station Platform 1 2018 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Nanhai_God_Temple_Station_Platform_1_2018_01.jpg)
Opened on 28 December 2017, Line 13 is the first metro line in Guangzhou built to run eight-car trains. The currently operating first phase runs from
Yuzhu to
Xinsha, serving passengers of
Huangpu and Xintang,
Zengcheng
Zengcheng District ( alternately romanized as Tsengshing) is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China.
History
was established under the Qin following their conquest of ...
. The eleven-station line currently has only one transfer station with
Line 5 at Yuzhu. The second phase of Line 13 runs west of the current phase, which cuts through popular areas of
Huangpu,
Tianhe, and
Liwan District
Liwan District is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. The district is split into two parts by the Pearl River: Xiguan in the northeast and Fangcun in the southwest.
...
s, and is currently under construction. Line 13's color is
olive.
Line 14
![Wangcun Station Platform 1 202001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Wangcun_Station_Platform_1_202001.jpg)
Two sections of Line 14 are currently in service. The Knowledge City Branch Line, a ten-station long route located mainly within
Huangpu, opened on 28 December 2017. The branch line operates primarily within
Huangpu and mainly connects the Sino-Chinese Knowledge City to Zhenlong. The mainline segment to
Conghua
Conghua District, alternately romanized as Tsungfa, is one of 11 urban districts and the northernmost district of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Conghua connects the Pearl River Delta with th ...
opened a year later on 28 December 2018 and runs from Jiahewanggang in
Baiyun District to Dongfeng in Conghua. A southward extension to
Guangzhou railway station
Guangzhou railway station serves the city of Guangzhou. It sits on the high speed Guangshen railway just west of Guangzhou East. CRH trains from Guangzhou serves Shenzhen six times daily.
Services from this station include trains to Beijing ( ...
is currently under construction. Line 14 is the first line in Guangzhou Metro that offers express services. Line 14's color is
brown.
Line 18
![Platform 4, Panyu Square Station, Guangzhou Metro 20210928](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Platform_4%2C_Panyu_Square_Station%2C_Guangzhou_Metro_20210928.jpg)
The section from to of Line 18 opened on 28 September 2021. The section is 58.3 km in length. It will be extended 3 km to . A further 39.6 km extension to is also planned. Line 18's color is
blue.
Line 21
![Shenzhoulu Station Platform 1 2019 12](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Shenzhoulu_Station_Platform_1_2019_12.jpg)
The
long Line 21 runs between Yuancun in
Tianhe and Zengcheng Square in
Zengcheng
Zengcheng District ( alternately romanized as Tsengshing) is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China.
History
was established under the Qin following their conquest of ...
with six-car trains. It has of underground tracks, of elevated tracks, and of tracks in mountain tunnels. The section from Yuancun to Tianhe Park is intended as part of Line 11 and constructed to accommodate the eight-car trains of the latter. When the construction of Line 11 is completed, this section will be operated as part of Line 11, making Tianhe Park the west end of Line 21.
Express service was also provided after the inauguration of the western section (Yuancun – Zhenlongxi). Line 21's color is
dark purple.
Line 22
![Platform 1, Shiguanglu Station, Guangzhou Metro 20220404](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ab/Platform_1%2C_Shiguanglu_Station%2C_Guangzhou_Metro_20220404.jpg)
The section from to of Line 22 opened on 31 March 2022. The section is 18.2 km in length. It will be extended 73.2 km to . Line 22's color is
orange.
Guangfo Line
![Lanshi STA(2017)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2e/Platform_2%2C_Lanshi_Station%2C_Foshan_Metro_20170321.jpg)
The Guangzhou–Foshan Section of
Pearl River Delta
The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...
Region Intercity Rapid Transit () is an intercity metro line that connects Guangzhou and Foshan. It is commonly known as Guangfo Metro and Guangfo Line of Guangzhou Metro. The section within Foshan also doubles as Line 1 of FMetro (Foshan Metro). The line is operated by Guangdong Guangfo Inter-City Co., Ltd., a subsidiary co-owned by Guangzhou Metro (51%) and Foshan Metro (49%).
Its first section, from Xilang to
Kuiqi Lu in
Foshan
Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
, started operation on 3 November 2010 with of tracks and 14 stations.
Eleven of the stations are located in Foshan, while the other three are in Guangzhou.
Relocation disputes at Lijiao were not resolved until October 2013 and have delayed completion of the extension from Xilang to
Lijiao till December 2015. When the line is completed, it will have of tracks and 21 stations, of which of tracks and 10 stations will be located in Guangzhou.
The line runs four-car trains.
All its stations are underground.
Zhujiang New Town APM Line
![Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center Station Site](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Guangzhou_Women_and_Children%27s_Medical_Center_Station_Site.JPG)
The Automated People Mover System of Zhujiang New Town Core District Municipal Traffic Project () is an underground
automated people mover
A people mover or automated people mover (APM) is a type of small scale automated guideway transit system. The term is generally used only to describe systems serving relatively small areas such as airports, downtown districts or theme parks. ...
that serves the
central business district
A central business district (CBD) is the commercial and business centre of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides with the "city ...
of
Zhujiang New Town
Zhujiang New Town or Zhujiang New City is a central business district in Tianhe District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China. It is bounded by Huangpu Avenue on the north, the Pearl River (China), Pearl River on the south, Guangzhou Avenue on the wes ...
. It is commonly known as Zhujiang New Town Automated People Mover System or the APM for short. At a length of , it connects Linhexi and Canton Tower with nine stations on the line.
The operation started on 8 November 2010 with Canton Tower Station named Chigang Pagoda Station until December 2013. The stations of Haixinsha and Chigang Pagoda remained closed during the 2010 Asian Games. Chigang Pagoda Station opened on 28 November 2010, one day after the Asian Games ended;
Haixinsha Station remained unopened until 24 February 2011. There is no direct platform-to-platform connection between the APM and Line 3 albeit they share the stations of Linhexi and Canton Tower.
Transfer passengers need to exit and reenter with a new ticket. The APM runs two-car
rubber-wheeled driverless trains.
Network expansion
Short-term planning
Long-term planning
The Guangzhou Urban Rail Transit Network Planning Scheme (2018-2035) (), which was approved by the Guangzhou Municipal Government in November 2020, shows that a total of 53 metro lines and 2,029 km are planned in Guangzhou. This round of line network planning is divided into three levels: high-speed metro, rapid metro, and regular-speed metro. Among them, there are 5 high-speed metro lines with 452 km in Guangzhou, 11 rapid metro lines with 607 km in Guangzhou, and 37 regular-speed metro lines with 970 km.
* High-speed metro lines:
** : Knowledge City –
Luogang – Zini (→
Foshan
Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
)
** : (
Zhongshan
Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 i ...
/
Zhuhai
Zhuhai (, ; Yale: ''Jyūhói''), also known as Chuhai is a prefecture-level city located on the west bank of Pearl River estuary on the central coast of southern Guangdong province, People's Republic of China, on the southeastern edge of Pearl ...
→) Shiliuchong –
Huachengjie (→
Qingyuan
Qingyuan, formerly romanized as Tsingyun, is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong province, China, on the banks of the Bei or North River. During the 2020 census, its total population was 3,969,473, out of whom 1,738,424 lived in the ...
)
** :
Airport North –
Nansha Passenger Port (→
Dongguan
Dongguan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the s ...
)
** : (Foshan →)
Fangcun –
Xintang (→ Dongguan)
** spur line: Xintang – Guangzhou Huali College (→
Huizhou
Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyua ...
)
** :
Guangzhou East railway station
Guangzhoudong (Guangzhou East) railway station (), formerly known as Tianhe railway station () serves the city of Guangzhou, located in the city's Tianhe District.
The railway, metro, and bus terminal stations is interconnected as a single stat ...
– Liangkou (→
Xinfeng)
* Rapid metro lines:
** : Airport North – Haiou Island
** parallel express line:
Pazhou
Pazhou is a subdistrict of Haizhu in southeastern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, in China.
, formerly Whampoa Island, has a total area of and is the site of Pazhou Pagoda. Its eastern bay was formerly the chief anchorage for ships partic ...
–
Jiaomen
** : Shuixibei – Meidi Dadao
** : Chaoyang –
Xinsha
** :
Guangzhou railway station
Guangzhou railway station serves the city of Guangzhou. It sits on the high speed Guangshen railway just west of Guangzhou East. CRH trains from Guangzhou serves Shenzhen six times daily.
Services from this station include trains to Beijing ( ...
–
Dongfeng Dongfeng is the romanization of several Chinese names of which most notably "East Wind" (); it may refer to:
People's Republic of China
* Dongfeng (missile) (), series of ballistic missiles of the People's Liberation Army
* Chinese series of dies ...
** : Xintang – Lichengbei
** :
Tianhe Park – Guangzhou Huali College
** :
Guangzhou North railway station
Guangzhou North railway station () is a railway station in Huadu District in northern Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, opened in 1908.
The station is served both by the high-speed trains of the Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway
Th ...
–
Lijiao
** :
Longxi – Huangpu Passenger Port
** :
Taihe – Lanhe (→ Foshan)
** :
Xinhe – Jiangnan (→ Dongguan)
** : Huangpu railway station –
Huadu Square
* Regular-speed metro lines:
** :
Xilang – Guangzhou East railway station
** :
Jiahewanggang –
Guangzhou South railway station
** :
Huangcun – Nansha Passenger Port
** :
Jiaokou – Huangpu Passenger Port
** :
Xunfenggang – Guangzhou Middle School
** : Jiangfu –
Haibang
** : Tanzhonglu –
Gaozeng
** :
Gaotangshi – Guanggang New Town (→ Foshan)
** : Guangzhou railway station – Pazhou – Guangzhou railway station
* Regular-speed metro lines (continued):
** : Xunfenggang –
Higher Education Mega Center South
** spur line:
Higher Education Mega Center North – Chenbian
** : Jiaomen – Nansha Passenger Port – Jiaomen
** : Huangpu railway station – Nanpuxi (→ Foshan)
** : Lingnan Square – Jiangnan
** : Chishajiao – Xintang Dadao
** : Guangzhoudadaobei – Education Park
** : Dongchong Town – Nansha Wetland Park
** : Nanguolu – Information Technology Park
** : Ronggui Railway Station – Qingshengdong
** : (Foshan →) Huangjinwei – Toubei
** : Dongjing – Huadong Coach Terminal
** : Fengcun – Baishantang
** : Lianxidadao – Shiliuchong
** : Jiahewanggang – Datian
** : Shihua –
Changping Changping or Chang Ping, may refer to:
Transportation
*Changping station (Beijing Subway) (昌平), a subway station on Changping line of Beijing Subway. Located in Beijing.
*Changping line (昌平线), a subway line of Beijing Subway
*Changping r ...
** spur line: Yonghe – Lihu
** : Bicun – Fangshi
** : Aotou –
Conghua Coach Terminal
** : Nanjiao – GAC Base
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Guangzhou South Railway Station
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Xingyedadao
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Guangzhou Railway Station
** Foshan : (Foshan →)
Baiyun Dongping
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Longxi
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Fangcun
** Foshan : (Foshan →) Hedongdong
** Dongguan : Huangpu Passenger Port (→ Dongguan)
** Dongguan : Zengcheng Railway Station (→ Dongguan)
** Dongguan :
Shiqi (→ Dongguan)
Connections to neighboring cities
The Guangzhou Metro is actively constructing connections to neighboring cities.
Foshan
Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
is already connected via the
Guangfo Metro
The Guangfo Metro or Guangfo line is a intercity metro line that connects the Chinese cities Foshan and Guangzhou. As of December 2018, the line is currently long and has 25 stations, which are all underground.
History
The line was expected t ...
with connections via
Line 7 and
Foshan Metro
The Foshan Metro (; branded as FMetro) is the rapid transit system of the city of Foshan in Guangdong, China. Guangfo line is operated by Guangzhou Metro Corporation, and all other lines are operated by the state-owned Foshan Rail Transit Gr ...
Line 2 is now opened.
Dongguan
Dongguan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. An important industrial city in the Pearl River Delta, Dongguan borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the north, Huizhou to the northeast, Shenzhen to the s ...
city is proposing connections with Guangzhou Metro
Line 13 and the
Dongguan Metro. Neighboring
Huizhou
Huizhou ( zh, c= ) is a city in central-east Guangdong Province, China, forty-three miles north of Hong Kong. Huizhou borders the provincial capital of Guangzhou to the west, Shenzhen and Dongguan to the southwest, Shaoguan to the north, Heyua ...
city proposed in 2016 that Guangzhou Metro Line 16 be extended into
Longmen County
Longmen County, alternately romanized as Lungmoon, is a county of Guangdong, China, administered as part of the prefecture-level city of Huizhou. In 2004, Longmen County had a population of 320,596 residing in an area of .
Geography
The northe ...
, achieving the integration of Huizhou and Guangzhou. In January 2018, Huizhou's mayor Mai Jiaomeng revealed that Huizhou was studying two connections with the Guangzhou Metro with Line 16 heading to Yonghan Town, Longmen County and
Line 21 extended to
Mount Luofu
Mount Luofu () is a sacred Taoist mountain situated on the north bank of the Dongjiang in the northwest of Boluo County, Huizhou in Guangdong Province, China. It covers 250 kilometers.
Among the many temples on Mt. Luofu is Wa Sau Toi, which is ...
in
Boluo County
Boluo County () is a county of east-central Guangdong province, People's Republic of China. It is under the administration of the prefecture-level city of Huizhou, and in 2009, had a population of 813,700 residing in an area of . It borders Yuanc ...
. In 2018, Guangzhou is studying the feasibility of extending Line 18 south into
Zhongshan
Zhongshan (; ) is a prefecture-level city in the south of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, China. As of the 2020 census, the whole city with 4,418,060 inhabitants is now part of the Guangzhou–Shenzhen conurbation with 65,565,622 i ...
and north into
Qingyuan
Qingyuan, formerly romanized as Tsingyun, is a prefecture-level city in northern Guangdong province, China, on the banks of the Bei or North River. During the 2020 census, its total population was 3,969,473, out of whom 1,738,424 lived in the ...
.
;Guangzhou–Foshan metro connections
Fares and tickets
Fares
Fares of Guangzhou Metro currently range from
¥2 (a couple of stations) to ¥22 (the longest journeys). A journey shorter than 4 km costs ¥2; ¥1 is charged for every 4 km after 4 km, every 6 km after 12 km, and every 8 km after 24 km. Between 30 October 2010 and 30 October 2011, an additional, undiscountable ¥5 fee was charged for any journey to or from Airport South. Collection of such a fee was approved for one year in July 2010 and expired without extension. The fare for the longest possible journey to the exiting station will be charged if a journey exceeds four hours. Passengers may carry luggage below weight and size limits at no cost or a ¥2 surcharge.
Current ticket types
Single journey ticket
![Guangzhou Metro Single Journey Ticket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Guangzhou_Metro_Single_Journey_Ticket.jpg)
Single journey tickets can be bought at a kiosk at every station or at the automatic ticket vending machines. The ticket itself is a contactless
radio-frequency
Radio frequency (RF) is the oscillation rate of an alternating electric current or voltage or of a magnetic, electric or electromagnetic field or mechanical system in the frequency range from around to around . This is roughly between the upp ...
plastic token. The user has to tap it on the sensor on the ticket barrier when entering and insert it into a slot at the exit gate where the token is reclaimed. Full base fares are charged for single journey tickets for individuals. Passengers travelling in groups of 30 or larger can enjoy a 10% discount.
Yang Cheng Tong and Lingnan Pass
Yang Cheng Tong () is a contactless
smartcard
A smart card, chip card, or integrated circuit card (ICC or IC card) is a physical electronic authentication device, used to control access to a resource. It is typically a plastic credit card-sized card with an embedded integrated circuit (IC) c ...
which can be used on the metro and most other forms of public transport in Guangzhou.
Yang Cheng Tong offers discounts for rides on buses and the metro. Within each month, bus and metro rides combined, a 5% discount is available for the first 15 journeys and a 40% discount for all journeys beyond.
Full-time students enrolled in primary, secondary, and vocational schools can apply for student passes, which allow them bus and metro rides at half price. Senior citizens can also obtain special passes. Half price is charged for seniors aged 60–64. Seniors aged 65 and above as well as people with major disabilities ride free of charge.
Yang Cheng Tong was rebranded in November 2010 as a type of Lingnan Pass (), a new transport card that is valid in multiple cities across the Pearl River Delta. Lingnan Pass cards issued in Guangzhou are named Lingnan Pass·Yang Cheng Tong. Existing cards were automatically upgraded and need not be replaced.
Day pass
Guangzhou Metro introduced day passes on 1 January 2013. A day pass holder can travel an unlimited number of times in the metro system during a limited period of validity starting from the first use. Two variants are currently available:
* One-day pass: ¥20 each and valid for 24 hours
* Three-day pass: ¥50 each and valid for 72 hours
Day passes are not rechargeable. They can be fully refunded until the first use, at which time they become nonrefundable. Used passes are not reclaimed, although they can be voluntarily recycled at drop boxes in the stations.
The passes are decorated with illustrations of the
Cantonese language
Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding are ...
and
cuisine
A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
to promote the local culture. The art design was favored by over 70% of those who responded to public opinion surveys compared to two other competing designs.
Discontinued ticket types
Guangzhou Metro discontinued the following ticket types in favor of Yang Cheng Tong.
Stored value ticket
![GZMTR stored value ticket](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/GZMTR_stored_value_ticket.jpg)
Stored value tickets were very similar to Yang Cheng Tong. Stored value tickets are not on sale anymore, but they will be presented as souvenirs to VIPs at the activities of the subway company and can have a 5% discount on fares.
Monthly pass
Monthly passes were introduced on 1 November 2008 and abolished on 1 May 2010. There were three types of monthly pass:
* ¥55 monthly pass for 20 single journeys
* ¥88 monthly pass for 35 single journeys
* ¥115 monthly pass for 50 single journeys
Each journey could travel from one station to any other station regardless of distance. A monthly pass was valid within a calendar month, not the one-month period from the first day it was used. Unused journeys in a month could not be rolled over to a pass for the following month.
Student pass and senior citizen pass
Both were issued by the metro company and used on metro only, allowing the holders to travel free or at half price.
Power supply
Most Guangzhou Metro lines in operation are powered by . For power transmission, lines 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 13 as well as Guangfo Line use
overhead lines
An overhead line or overhead wire is an electrical cable that is used to transmit electrical energy to electric locomotives, trolleybuses or trams. It is known variously as:
* Overhead catenary
* Overhead contact system (OCS)
* Overhead equipmen ...
, while lines 4, 5, 6, 14 and 21 use
third rail
A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway t ...
s. Lines 18 and 22 also use overhead wires, although at . In contrast to the heavy-rail lines, the light-rail APM runs on 600 V 50 Hz 3-phase AC supplied by third rails.
Controversies
Free rides for relatives of metro employees
Starting from 1997 (Guangzhou Metro) implemented a policy that allowed free rides for, in addition to its employees, their relatives. The policy was exposed to the public after its validity was questioned at a hearing on metro fares in December 2005.
At first, it was reported that up to three lineal kins of each metro employee were allowed free access to the metro. Based on Guangzhou Metro having about 6,000 employees at the time, participants of the hearing estimated that up to 18,000 relatives of metro employees could ride free at an approximate cost of ¥13 million per year.
In response to questions on the policy raised at the hearing, Lu Guanglin, then-General Manager of Guangzhou Metro, claimed that relatives of employees with free access would volunteer as security personnel of the metro. He cited
counter-terrorism
Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
when explaining that the policy was not exclusively an employee benefit but also a safety measure.
Guangzhou Metro later clarified that only the spouse and at most one pre-college child under 18 of each employee were allowed free access, limiting the number of such people to about 2,000. Free rides were strictly regulated and tracked, with abuse subject to disciplinary actions. An unnamed metro employee estimated that the actual cost per year was ¥3 million rather than ¥13 million.
Following its publicity, the policy sparked widespread criticism.
A ''
Nanfang Daily
The ''Nanfang Daily'' (), also known as ''Southern Daily'' and ''Nanfang Ribao'', is the official newspaper of the Guangdong provincial committee of the Chinese Communist Party. The paper was established in Guangzhou on October 23, 1949.
On Oct ...
'' editorial criticised the policy as Guangzhou Metro exploiting public resources to its own interests. It also questioned the competence of relatives of metro employees in counter-terrorism. It further argued that if Guangzhou Metro indeed needed voluntary security personnel, it could have recruited them openly from the public. Such criticism was echoed by hearing participants as well as members of the Municipal People's Congress of Guangzhou. Guangzhou Metro officially abandoned the policy under pressure on 16 December 2005.
Ridership under-prediction
The first lines that were constructed, such as Lines 1, 2, and 8, used high capacity 6 car A-type trains in anticipation to heavy ridership. This choice later proved invaluable in the densely populated Guangzhou with all three aforementioned lines today having a peak daily usage of over 1 million passengers each. However, in the early days of operation, ridership of these lines was low. Ridership for Line 1 plateaued at – in the late 1990s and early 2000s even though it was projected to reach in 1998. The under utilization of these lines at the time allowed experts to insist using lower capacity trains on newer lines and even led to the Guangzhou government being criticized for overinflating ridership predictions to approve metro projects. Preference was given small-capacity trains and low-headway operation in the planning of later projects such as Lines 3, 5 and 6. Line 3 was to be built using smaller, lower capacity B-type rolling stock while Lines 5 and 6 was planned to use even lower capacity
light metro
A medium-capacity system (MCS), also known as light rapid transit or light metro, is a rail transport system with a capacity greater than light rail, but less than typical heavy-rail rapid transit. MCS’s trains are usually 1-4 cars, or 1 ligh ...
four car L-type trains.
Initially the trains of Line 3 would only be three cars long and planned to gradually be extended into six car trains in the long-term future. This was in line with the conservative ridership projections at the time, with the Airport Section of Line 3 predicted in 2007 to have a long term peak demand of just over 20,000 pphpd by 2034. These ideas would soon prove utterly shortsighted with Line 3 trains being plagued with extreme overcrowding with significant sections of the line over 100% capacity only a few years after opening. Line 3 was forced to adopt its final long term configuration of six-car trains and low headway operation only five years after opening.
However, as of 2014, with continuing growth in passenger demand, many sections of Line 3 are still over 100% capacity even after conversion to six car trains and low headway operation. The section crossing the
Pearl River
The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-all ...
between
Kecun and
Canton Tower
The Canton Tower (), formally Guangzhou TV Astronomical and Sightseeing Tower (), is a -tall multipurpose observation tower in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou ( alternatively romanized as ''Canton''). The tower was topped out in 2009 and it ...
stations is the most congested, reaching 136% capacity. In June 2017, the ridership of Line 3 averaged over 2 million passengers per day and on 1 March 2019 the line carried 2.54 million passengers in a single day.
With the busiest section carrying over 60,000 pphpd of passenger volume in 2018.
As the controversy surrounding Line 3 unfolded the low capacity design of Line 6, another downscaled line, drew concentrated but late criticism from local media in July 2009. Originally believed to have limited attraction to commuters, Line 6 was intended as an auxiliary line with a projected daily ridership of two years after opening and in nine years, These projections assumed the opening year of Line 6 was still 2010 and Guangzhou was less populated. Such projections were in line with ridership of the, at the time, underutilized Lines 1 and Line 2 prior to 2004. However, with the construction of Line 6 well underway using the original plan of four car L-type trains, a change to longer trains had become unrealistic as it would require modification to stations structures whose construction had been completed. An internal report of Guangzhou Metro also released in 2009 reckoned that using the same six car B-type rolling stock as Lines 3 and 7 would increase the capacity of Line 6 by 50%. Land expropriation and residence relocation would pose even greater challenges as evidenced by severe delays in the construction of the stations of
Yide Lu
Li Chongrun (; 682 – October 8, 701), né Li Chongzhao (), formally Crown Prince Yide ( ), was an imperial prince of the Tang Dynasty and Wu Zetian's Zhou Dynasty. He was the only son of Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Emperor Zhongzong (Li Zhe/Li X ...
and Shahe.
In 2014, one year after opening, daily ridership on Line 6 has grown to 600,000 and continues to increase steadily, peaking at 858,000 passengers on 16 September 2016, a mere two years later. With the opening of Phase II extending the line from
Changban to Xiangxue in late 2016 ridership continues to increase, averaging 850,000 passengers per day as of April 2018.
The congestion following the openings of Lines 3 and 6 made a profound impact on the planning and design of metro lines in Guangzhou. Line 5 had an urgent revision during early construction to support longer six car trains but still using a low capacity L-type design. Lines 7 was originally also planned to use the same four car light metro design as Line 6 but was redesigned and constructed to use higher capacity six car B-type trains. Before the opening of Line 6, the mayor of Guangzhou
Chen Jianhua publicly admitted that planning of Line 6 lacked foresight and ridership estimates were too conservative. He predicts the line would be very crowded upon opening. He promised to ensure that future lines will be designed to use trains that are six or more cars long. Newer lines around the city center such as the under construction
Line 11,
Line 12 and in operation
Line 13 will all use high capacity eight car A-type trains.
Quality inspection of Line 3 north extension
Exposure of quality issue
On 11 October 2010, news broke that the concrete structures of two connecting passages in the north extension of Line 3 between
Jiahewanggang and
Longgui had substandard compressive strength. The quality of the two connecting passages was found to be questionable as early as August 2009.
But it not was brought to light until a technician who worked for a company that inspected their quality posted scanned copies of the original inspection reports in his
blog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
in August 2010, and the media picked up the story in October 2010.
The connecting passages were intended as connections between two metro tunnels for the maintenance crew and emergency escape corridors for passengers.
Their compressive strength was designed to reach 30
MPa
MPA or mPa may refer to:
Academia
Academic degrees
* Master of Performing Arts
* Master of Professional Accountancy
* Master of Public Administration
* Master of Public Affairs
Schools
* Mesa Preparatory Academy
* Morgan Park Academy
* Mound ...
. However, the lowest values measured in two inspections were only 21.9 MPa and 25.5 MPa, respectively.
Guangzhou Metro and Beijing Chang Cheng
Bilfinger Berger
Bilfinger SE (previously named Bilfinger Berger AG) is a German company specialized in civil and industrial construction, engineering and services based in Mannheim, Germany.
History
Bilfinger dates back to 1880 when August Bernatz founded Be ...
Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. (BCBB), contractor of the Jiahewanggang–Longgui section,
commissioned two inspection companies to perform a total of three inspections. All three inspections reported results below standard. According to the technician who disclosed the issue and another technician who participated in the first inspection, possible consequences of weaker-than-standard concrete structures included collapse of the passages, blockage of groundwater drains, and even paralysation of the metro tunnels.
Alleged fraud attempts
According to the two technicians, BCBB rejected a negative inspection report and conspired with their employer company to produce a fraudulent positive report.
In response, both the inspection company and BCBB denied their involvement in any fraud attempts.
Su Zhenyu, a deputy manager of the Quality and Safety Division of Guangzhou Metro, admitted the quality issue with the connecting passages but maintained the innocence of Guangzhou Metro. According to him (Guangzhou Metro) never received the original inspection reports in 2009 and was unaware of the issue until it received them on 30 September 2010. Su blamed the incident on deceit by BCBB and declared the structures safe for train operation.
Su's comments were acknowledged by Guangzhou Metro.
Reactions
According to Su (Guangzhou Metro) had launched an investigation into the incident and demanded remedial plans for fortifying the structures from the designer after its experts verified that the quality of the passage did not meet the design standard.
In its official response (Guangzhou Metro) claimed that it had been monitoring the connecting passages since they were completed in August 2009 and noticed no cracks, deformation or leaks. It also commissioned a re-inspection in September 2010 and obtained results comparable to previous ones. Evaluation by the designer of the connecting passages based on these results recognised their structures as safe. Previously in 2009, the designer also evaluated one of the two connecting passages as safe upon demand of BCBB with the standard for its compressive strength at the lowest permissible value of 25 MPa.
In the wake of widespread media coverage, the Construction Commission of Guangzhou launched an investigation into the incident. The commission invited an independent expert group to inspect the connecting passages. The expert group reaffirmed that despite their quality was indeed below the design standard, the passages were safe for operation and needed not be strengthened or rebuilt. The commission also confirmed that BCBB violated regulations in concealing negative inspection reports from related parties.
The cause of weaker-than-standard concrete structures was blamed by deputy mayor Su Zequn on cement being mixed manually instead of using machinery due to space limitation at the construction site.
The scheduled opening of the north extension of Line 3 on 30 October 2010 was eventually unaffected.
Universal free access in November 2010
In January 2010, then-mayor
Zhang Guangning revealed to the media that the local government was considering rewarding residents with an "Asian Games gift package" in acknowledgement of their support for the Games. On 27 September 2010, contents of the gift package were officially announced. Included was universal free access to public transit on 30 workdays in November and December 2010 that would coincide with the schedules of the
2010 Asian Games
The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in Guangzhou, Guangdong, China, although several events ...
and
Asian Para Games
The Asian Para Games also known as Para Asiad is a multi-sport event regulated by the Asian Paralympic Committee that's held every four years after every Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. Both events had adopted the strategy ...
in urban areas excluding the districts of
Panyu
Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...
,
Nansha and
Huadu and the cities of
Zengcheng
Zengcheng District ( alternately romanized as Tsengshing) is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China.
History
was established under the Qin following their conquest of ...
and
Conghua
Conghua District, alternately romanized as Tsungfa, is one of 11 urban districts and the northernmost district of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Conghua connects the Pearl River Delta with th ...
. The measure was intended to compensate for the inconvenience caused by a temporary traffic rule that would ban cars from the streets by the parity of the last digits of their license plates during the Games.
The free rides policy prompted unprecedented enthusiasm from local residents on 1 November 2010, the first day it went into effect. The metro system carried 7.80 million rides, doubling the figure of an average day.
Ridership of the day exceeded the previous peak of 5.13 million on
National Day 1 October 2010 by a significant margin and set a national record.
Metro traffic remained intense in the days that followed. The daily ridership record was refreshed twice on 3 and 5 November 2010, reaching 7.844 million; total ridership amounted to 38.77 million over the entire workweek.
Provisional flow control measures were put into force at all stations, but were utterly inadequate to contain traffic far beyond the design capacity of the metro system.
Trains were often crammed, and stations were filled with people queuing in swarms to take a free ride.
Guangzhou Metro estimated that when the Asian Games opened, daily ridership would surpass 8 million.
Five days after the free rides policy came into force, local authorities decided to rescind the free public transit offer starting from 8 November 2010 and replace it with a cash subsidy program as they deemed the enormous public response a potential security threat to the Games.
Registered households and migrant households with presence in the city longer than half a year would each receive a public transit subsidy of ¥150 in cash; individuals in corporate households would each receive ¥50. Residents could claim the subsidies between 12 January and 31 March 2011. Public transit discount policies that were in effect before November 2010 remained unchanged.
Kangwang Lu sinkhole incident
Around 16:40 on 28 January 2013, in the immediate neighbourhood of the construction site of the Cultural Park Station of Line 6 on Kangwang Lu (), a sinkhole of approximately in area and in depth collapsed, consuming several houses and trees. Six collapses occurred within 40 minutes. Two more collapses occurred later at 21:45, when workers were pouring concrete into the sinkhole. Nearby roads were immediately closed for emergency engineering.
The affected section of Kangwang Lu remained closed until the Spring Festival holidays and was closed for a second time on 12 February due to discovery of additional risks.
There were no casualties in the incident because metro construction workers detected geological anomalies 20 minutes before the initial collapse and promptly evacuated the neighbourhood.
The sinkhole caused disruptions to electricity, gas and water supplies and drainage pipelines. Preliminary analysis blamed the incident on inaccurate geological drawings used for underground blast operations.
In total, 412 households, 103 businesses and 69 warehouses were evacuated, and 257 residents were relocated.
Guangzhou Metro offered provisional compensations that amounted to ¥50,000 for each collapsed business and ¥2600 for each resident of the collapsed houses, among other compensations.
See also
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List of Guangzhou Metro lines & stations
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Foshan Metro (FMetro)
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Dongguan Rail Transit
Dongguan Rail Transit or Dongguan Metro is the rapid transit system of the city of Dongguan in Guangdong Province of China. It is operated by the state-owned Dongguan Rail Transit Corporation, Limited. The construction of the first section of L ...
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List of rapid transit systems
These lists of rapid transit systems are sorted by the type of system:
* List of tram and light rail transit systems
* List of town tramway systems
* Medium-capacity rail transport system
* List of premetro systems
* List of metro systems
* List of ...
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Metro systems by annual passenger rides
This list of metro systems includes electrified rapid transit train systems worldwide. In some parts of the world, metro systems are referred to as subways, U-Bahn or undergrounds. , 205 cities in 61 countries have a metro system.
The London ...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
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Guangzhou at ''UrbanRail.net''Guangzhou Metro route map and trip plannerOfficial Guangzhou Metro Model TrainTravel China Guide
{{coord, 23.1089, N, 113.2647, E, source:wikidata, display=title
1500 V DC railway electrification
1997 establishments in China
Projects established in 1958
Rail transport in Guangdong
Railway lines opened in 1997
Rapid transit in China
Underground rapid transit in China