Changchun opens metro line 6

The Chinese city of Changchun (population 9M), capital of Jilin province in the north-east of the country, inaugurated passengers service on orbital metro line 6 on 28 March. 

 

The 22-station line runs 29.6km from Movie Wonderland to Shuanfen and there is an interchange with line 2 at the western end and line 3 at the eastern end. Intermediate interchanges with lines 1 and 4 are featured. 

 

The new line will shorten the commute of many residents, with a trip that took 1.5 hours involving two changes now taking just 30 minutes. 

 

The interior design of the stations follows current trends, with bright colours and the latest technology, including toilets, and platform doors to back up the automated operation. Line 6 links the National High-tech Industrial Development Zone, the southern NEW City area and the Jingle High-tech Zone. Maternal and child rooms feature at nine stations. 

 

Standard-gauge metro operation in Changchun started in October 2002 and the network has reached 111.2km (69.1 miles) before the opening of line 6, carrying about 219M passengers/year.  

 

Lines 3 and 4 are classed as light rail in Chinese terms. The city also has a two-line 13km tramway dating back to 1941.