Guangzhou Metro

Trains run under the ground.

These trains move many people. They help us travel fast.

Many people use these trains. Over seven million people ride every day. This makes it a very busy system. It is one of the busiest in the world.

One line connects two cities. It links Guangzhou and Foshan. This is the first line like this in the country. It is a special way to travel.

Some trains are very fast. They go much faster than old trains. These fast trains are the fastest in China. They help people get around quickly.

New lines are being built now. These will reach even more places. The system keeps growing every year. It is a big way to move.

The Guangzhou Metro is a huge train system in China.

It helps millions of people travel every day. More than 7 million people ride these trains daily. This makes it the third busiest system in the world.

Building this system took a long time. In 1965, leaders started a secret plan called Project Nine. They wanted to build tunnels for safety during wartime. They finished one small tunnel in 1966. However, it was too small for public trains. Later, leaders changed the goal. They decided to build the metro for city traffic instead.

Construction on Line 1 finally began in 1993. It opened in 1997 with five stations. Today, the system has 19 lines and 399 stations. One special line, the Guangfo Line, connects two cities. This was the first line in China to link two different cities.

Some lines are very fast. Lines 18 and 22 are the fastest metro lines in China. The system is still growing with many new lines being built.

The Guangzhou Metro is a huge rapid transit system in China.

It serves the capital city of Guangdong, which is named Guangzhou. This system is very important for moving people around the city and nearby suburbs. It is the third busiest metro system in the whole world. In 2018, it delivered 3.029 billion rides to its passengers. Every day, more than 7 million people use these trains.

The metro is also the third largest system in terms of its total length.

Building a metro works by creating paths for trains to travel. Some paths go deep underground using tunnel boring machines. Others use a method called immersed tubes, like the Pearl River Tunnel. In the past, workers used a method called cut-and-cover to build tunnels. This way of working meant many buildings had to be moved.

The system uses different types of trains to move people quickly. Some lines are designed to be much faster than normal lines. These fast trains run at high speeds because their stations are far apart. Lines 18 and 22 are currently the fastest metro lines in China.

Long ago, leaders had different ideas for underground paths. In 1960, Chen Yu proposed an underground system for the city. He even ordered a secret survey of the groundwater levels. In 1965, a project called "Project Nine" began for wartime safety. This name came from the number of strokes in the Chinese word for underground. Workers built a small tunnel in 1966 for 13 million yuan. However, the tunnel was only 3 meters wide and 2.85 meters tall. It was too small and messy to be used for public trains.

Modern construction for the metro finally started in the 1980s. The first real line, Line 1, began construction in 1993.

It opened in 1997 with only five stations in operation. Later, Line 2 began construction in 1998 to help the network grow. This line used equipment that was 53% cheaper than Line 1. Today, the system has grown to include 19 different lines. It also features 399 stations for people to use.

You can think of the metro as a giant web of paths. Some paths connect the urban core to the outer suburbs. The Guangfo Line is a special path that connects two cities. It links Guangzhou and Foshan together for the first time in China.

Most trains run from 6:00 am until midnight every day. The system is still growing with many new extensions being planned. New work is happening on Line 8, Line 10, and Line 12. Some new paths will even reach the Baiyun Airport.

The Guangzhou Metro is a massive rapid transit system serving Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, China.

It functions as a vital network of underground and surface rails that move millions of people. This system is a global leader in scale and usage. It is the third busiest metro system in the world. In 2018, it delivered 3.029 billion rides to its passengers. Today, the system handles a daily ridership that averages over 7 million people. It also ranks as the third largest metro system globally in terms of total length.

Building such a large system requires complex engineering and various construction methods. Engineers use tunnel boring machines to dig deep paths through the earth. For sections like the Pearl River Tunnel, they use a method called immersed tubes. In the early days of Line 1, workers used the cut-and-cover method. This involves digging a large trench, building the tunnel, and then covering it back up. This method was very intensive for the city. It required the relocation of approximately 100,000 residents across 20,000 households. It also required the demolition of buildings totaling 1.5 million square meters.

The modern network is composed of 19 different lines. These lines include Line 1 through Line 14, Line 18, Line 21, Line 22, the Guangfo Line, and the Zhujiang New Town APM.

These lines serve both the dense urban core and the surrounding suburbs. The Guangfo Line is particularly unique. It is the first metro line in China to connect two different cities, Guangzhou and Foshan. The system operates 399 stations to facilitate movement. Most services run daily from 6:00 am until midnight. This vast web ensures that almost any part of the metropolitan area is reachable.

The history of the metro began much earlier than most people realize. In 1960, Governor Chen Yu proposed an underground system. He ordered a secret geological survey to check groundwater levels. Workers drilled six holes into the karst and alluvial plains. This survey resulted in a confidential report in July 1961. In 1965, Chen Yu and Tao Zhu proposed "Project Nine." This project was intended for wartime evacuations and later metro development. The name "Nine" came from the number of strokes in the Chinese word for underground.

Project Nine faced many difficult challenges during its early years. The goal was to build a north-south line. However, a lack of money and materials forced the project to scale back. In 1966, a 10-kilometer tunnel was completed for ¥13 million. Unfortunately, the tunnel was too small for public transit. It was only 3 meters wide and 2.85 meters tall. It also had exposed rocks and wooden trestles inside. Because of these issues, the tunnel was unusable for trains. Several attempts to restart the project occurred in 1970, 1971, 1974, and 1979, but they all failed due to funding and complex ground conditions.

Real construction for the modern system finally began in the 1980s. The project shifted from war preparedness to urban traffic needs. In 1988, designers from China and France worked together on the network. They chose a design with two intersecting lines as the foundation. Construction of Line 1 officially started on December 28, 1993. It cost ¥12.75 billion, which was funded by the local government. The first section opened for trial operation in June 1997. The full line finally opened for official operation on June 29, 1999.

As the system grew, engineers looked for ways to make it more efficient. Line 2 was built starting in 1998 to expand the reach. Unlike Line 1, Line 2 used more domestic equipment. This helped reduce the equipment cost by 53%. This success showed other Chinese cities that they could build their own metros more affordably. Today, the system continues to evolve with high-speed technology. Lines 18 and 22 are designed to be much faster than traditional lines. They feature stations that are far apart to allow for higher speeds. These are currently the fastest metro lines in all of China.