Guangzhou Metro

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.