Chengdu Metro


Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. The system consists of 7 subway lines and 1 light rail line. Line 1 was opened on 27 September 2010, making it the first heavy-rail metro line in southwest China. Line 2 began operation in September 2012. Line 4 opened to public at the end of December 2015, while Line 3 opened in July 2016. Metro lines are operated by Chengdu Rail Transit Group Company Limited.
There are currently of subway lines under construction in Chengdu in 2020. There will be 13 subway lines of totaling of length and expected to serve over 8 million trips per day.

History

Inception

In 1985, the Chengdu Planning Bureau set up an integrated transportation planning office which began the process of the planning for a rapid transit network for Chengdu. By 1992, a proposal for the subway was sent to the National Planning Commission and was subsequently rejected. In 2004 before the approval of the National Development and Reform Commission Chengdu started reconstructing Tianfu Square with provisions for Tianfu Square station. The first phase of Chengdu Metro, consisting of Lines 1 and 2, were approved by the NDRC on September 11, 2005.

First Phase

In total, Chengdu Metro including light rail lines is 341.96 km. There are seven subway lines operated covering with 222 stations and 1 light rail line operating.

Line 1

The first phase of Line 1 cost 7 billion yuan to construct. A natural ventilation system has been used in the underground section of Line 1 on the subway system from Southern Third Ring Road to Jingcheng Plaza Station. Square ventilation units are built every 30m along the subway top to allow fresh air from the ground enter the construction site underground. The method is used in subway construction in other countries as it cuts the construction cost and it saves energy. The subway system is the first in China to adopt such a ventilation system during construction. Chengdu Metro is planning to set up a section for subway fire control and introduce the latest fire fighting technologies and vehicles. Line 1's color is dark blue.

Line 2

Line 2 is a crosstown northwest-southeast trunk line. It serves the Chengdu East Railway Station. Line 2 began operation on 16 September 2012. Line 2's color is orange.

Line 3

Line 3 is a crosstown northeast-southwest trunk line. It started operation on 31 July 2016. Line 3's color is magenta.

Line 4

Line 4 is a crosstown east-west trunk line, serving the Chengdu West Railway Station. It started operation on 26 December 2015. Line 4's color is green.

Line 5

Line 5 is a crosstown north-south trunk line. It started operation on 27 December 2019. Line 5's color is purple.

Line 7

Line 7 is a loop line which runs around downtown Chengdu. It started operation on 6 December 2017. Line 7's color is sky blue.

Line 10

Line 10 is a line serving Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. It started operation on 6 September 2017. Line 10's color is blue.

R2 Tram

Chengdu Tram Line 2 has 39.3 km of operating tracks, 35 stations. Line R2's color is light green.

Network Expansion

Lines under construction

It is expected that Chengdu will have built about of subway lines in 2020. In 2017, the construction of the first phases of Lines 8, 9, 11, 17 and Line 10 started, the length of subway under construction in Chengdu totaling. It is expected by the end of 2020, Lines 6, 8, 9, 17 and 18 will open. Extending the Chengdu Metro network to 555 km of route.

Long Term Planning

On November 23, 2016, Chengdu Urban Planning Bureau reported that the official "Chengdu urban rail transit plan " is approved by Chengdu Government. Future network is composed with 46 lines, with 23 local lines, 17 express lines, 3 existing inter-city lines, 1 inter-city control line, 2 out-of-city line, and Line 39. The whole network will be 2450 km and 2278 km inside Chengdu.

Fares

Single Ride Card

Single Ride Card is an IC card for one trip. Riders can purchase it through attendants in station's Service Centers or use self-service machines. One ticket allows only one rider in with validity of the same day. If riders have not used the Single Ride Card, they may refund it at the same day at the same station.
From opening to June 1st 2017, Chengdu Metro used to have a different fare system using station counts. Passengers can stay within paid area for 120 minutes maximum. In October 2016, Chengdu Metro held public meeting for price changing issues and set new pricing plans.
From June 2nd 2017, Chengdu Metro starts new fare system based on distance.

Reloadable IC cards

The Tianfutong Pass is a reloadable IC Card accepted by the Chengdu Metro. Addtionally, passenger can pay their fares directly for single rides using Bank IC cards offered by participating banks.

Train Types and Technology

All Chengdu Metro lines in operation run on 1,500 V DC supplied by overhead lines. Trains on Lines 3, 4, 7, 10 and some of the newer Line 2 trains have a Golden Sun Bird insignia.

Type A Trains

In response to congestion and high ridership, Lines 7 and 10 are equipped with higher capacity 6-car aluminum alloy Type A trains. The total length of 140 meters and width is 3 meters. All trains have a maximum operating speed of 80 km/h. The capacity of a 6-car train is 1,828 passengers with a crush load capacity of 2,488 passengers. Line 7 trains are designed and managed by CRRC Qingdao Sifang with CRRC Chengdu performing manufacturing and assembly. Lines 5 and 6 are equipped with even higher capacity eight car aluminum alloy Type A trains. The capacity of an eight car trainset is 2,480 passengers with a crush load capacity of 3,456 passengers.

Type B Trains

Lines 1, 2, 3 and 4 use six car stainless steel Type B trains with a total length of 120 meters and width 2.8 meters. The capacity of each train set is 1,460 people with a crush load capacity of 1,880 passengers. All trains have a maximum operating speed of 80 km/h. Lines 1 and 2 use CRRC Qingdao Sifang and CRRC Chengdu trains. Trains on Line 3 and 4 are manufactured by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and CRRC Chengdu. In 2008, Chengdu Metro in anticipation of the opening of Line 1, purchased and initial order of 17 six car trains sets from CRRC Qingdao Sifang. In April 2011, a further order was announced for trains from CRRC for Line 2, taking the total to 59 six car sets.

Light Rail Trains

Currently, only Chengdu Light Rail Line 2 is in operation.
Chengdu Light Rail Line 2 uses low floor light rail trains provided by domestic manufacturer CRRC. The tram system uses light rail trains, of each having 5 cars and 8 doors. :zh:成都有轨电车蓉2号线|Chengdu Light Rail Line R2 opened to public on 26 December 2018 and extended on 27 December 2019. It is 39.3 km long, with 35 stations. In early 2020, this line is included in the latest Chengdu Metro's official system map.

Other Train Transit

High-speed intercity rail

There are also two high-speed intercity railways in Chengdu, not part of Chengdu Metro system: the Chengdu–Dujiangyan intercity railway and Chengdu–Pujiang intercity railway. They are operated by Chengdu Metropolitan Railway Company Limited, which is China's first joint venture between a local government and China's national rail operator. The city and the Ministry of Railways worked together in building high-speed intercity rail lines.