Line 18 of the

Chengdu Metro The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system consists of 12 subway lines and 1 light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. ...

() is an express

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 ...

line that connects the urban area of

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively Romanization of Chi ...

with

Chengdu Tianfu International Airport Chengdu Tianfu International Airport is one of two airports serving Chengdu, the capital of China's Sichuan province, the other one being Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU), and a major air hub. The site of the airport was chosen a ...

. Line 18's color is teal. The Phase 1 & 2 of Line 18 is in total 69.39 km in length. It is also the biggest PPP project in China. The section from South Railway Station to Tianfu International Airport North Station started operation on 18 December 2020. Between

Chengdu South Railway Station Chengdu South or Chengdunan railway station () is a railway station in Wuhou District, Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, China. Services from this station include Chengdu–Mianyang–Leshan intercity railway. It is served by the South ...

and

Western China International Expo City Station Western China International Expo City () is a station on Line 1, Line 6 and Line 18 of the Chengdu Metro The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 201 ...

, the line runs adjacent to Line 1 essentially forming a four track subway. Line 18 runs express between the two stations, skipping a number of stops that Line 1 makes. The four track alignment with Line 1 will be extended to North Railway Station once Phase 3 of the line is completed.

Description

Phase 1 & 2

Phase 1 and 2 of the line, which is currently in operation, start at Chengdu South Railway Station and end at

. The total length is . The line officially started construction on August 16, 2016. The section from South Railway Station to Sancha started operation on 27 September 2020. The line will use 8-car Type A rolling stock. The rolling stock have features designed for medium distance travel, such as a 140 km/h maximum speed and wide station spacing. The line will also feature distinct express and local services using passing tracks at select stations with an express service stopping only at 4 intermediate stations, and planned to complete a trip between Chengdu South Railway Station to

in 35 minutes. The local service will stop at all stations on Line 18 and will complete the trip in 40 to 50 minutes.

Phase 3

On December 9, 2019, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Sichuan Province approved new extensions for Line 18. Line 18 Phase 3 includes North Extension, Linjiang Section, and South Extension. It is 16.715 kilometers long, all underground. In total, 6 underground stations (4 transfer stations), 1 reserved station, and 1 new depot will be built.

North Section

Line 18 is planned to extend north to on Line 1 serving downtown Chengdu and providing full parallel express service along the core portion of Line 1. The length of the extension is 10.985 kilometers with 4 new stations.

South Section

Line 18 is also planned to extend south beyond Tianfu International Airport Terminals 1 & 2 Station to Guanyan, adding 5.75 kilometers and 2 new underground stations and Linjiang Depot. On June 18, 2020, Government of Chengdu changed the name of Linjiang Station to Guanyan Station.

Phase 4

Jianyang Housing and Urban Planning Bureau officially released the plan for Line 18 Phase 4 to be extended to Jianyang South Railway Station. Additionally, Line 18 will connect with the proposed Line S3 (Ziyang line) at Futian Station. Line S3 (Ziyang line) is currently undergoing geological investigation in central

Ziyang Ziyang () prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province, China. It is bordered by the provincial capital of Chengdu to the northwest, Deyang to the north, Suining to the northeast, Chongqing municipality to the east, and Neijiang to the west ...

History

* On July 11, 2016, the NDRC approved the third phase of expansion for the Chengdu Metro, which includes Line 18. * On August 16, 2016, Line 18 started construction. * On February 28, 2017, first tunnel machine started tunneling. * On June 27, 2017, Sichuan Development and Reform Commission approved phase 2. * On August 18, 2017, the first station: Xinglong Station finished roofing and construction. * On October 24, 2018, Futian - T3/T4 section finished tunnel construction. * On January 29, 2019, Phase 1 and Phase 2 finished viaduct construction. * On May 31, 2019, the first tunnel section was completed. * On June 2, 2019, all tunnels in Phase 1 and Phase 2 are connected. * On June 13, 2019, Line 18's first train started testing in Chengdu. * On June 1, 2020, systems testing and debugging began. * On June 2, 2020, Line 18, the biggest PPP project in China, started its 3-month trial operation in preparation for opening. * On August 6, 2020, Line 18 completed fire-prevention assessment. * On September 27, 2020, the first and second section (from South Railway Station to Sancha) of Line 18 was opened. * On December 18, 2020, Line 18 (excluding) to was opened. * On June 27, 2021, an infill station, station opened with

Stations

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chengdu Metro, Line 18 Chengdu Metro lines Railway lines opened in 2020 2020 establishments in China Airport rail links in China