Fans of the Nanjing Metro are abuzz these days after a document was recently leaked, revealing that if all goes to plan, the length of our city’s metro network will grow by more than 50 percent by end 2026, and by 77 kilometres next year alone.
On 3 March was released a detailed, and official, picture of Nanjing’s urban and rural construction plans for this year, which involves no less than 11 metro lines. There is no doubt we are on the cusp of an explosion in our urban-transit provision.
Barring unforeseen delays, 2024 shall see Nanjing Metro open Line 3 Phase III, Line 5, Line 6, Line 7 South Section, Line 9 Phase I and Line 10 Phase II. That will put the operating mileage of the Nanjing Metro at 522 kilometres by the end of next year, finally surpassing that of arch rival, Hangzhou.
But that which has grabbed many people’s attention has been the leaking of a second document, relating to rail-transit systems under construction in major cities in China, and published in part by online portal, 163.com.
Therein, it is revealed that by 2026, Nanjing’s metro-mileage ranking will rise to number 5 nationwide, with a projected length of 675 kilometres. For reference, the system length at present stands at 449 kilometres.
Looking to a few of the lines now under construction, the accompanying image shows the route for the second phase of Line 4, together with other routes in the works for the northwest of Nanjing. With a total length of around 10 kilometres, the westward extension to Line 4 has six stations, all of which are underground.
Then there is Phase II of Line 10, between Andemen in the west and Shiyang Dong Lu in the east, with a total length of 13.33 kilometres.
Back across the Yangtze, Line 11 will run between Puzhou Lu in the north and Maluowei in the south, over 26.7 kilometres. Line 11 features 20 stations in all, of which 19 are underground and nine are interchanges.
But the big controversy continues to be Line 5. Generally speaking, a metro-line construction cycle is 5 years. Nanjing Metro Line 5 is now in its 7th year after multiple delays and will be 8 years in the making assuming no more big problems.
So what’s the hang up with Line 5?
Firstly, the whole thing is underground. Running from northwest to southeast, over a total length of 37.4 kilometres, Line 5 passes under some of Nanjing’s most densely populated areas.
In the downtown part, the lengths along Zhongshan Bei Lu and Shanghai Lu, the part passing by Chaotian Palace and the section linking up with Line 1 at Sanshan Jie, have been particularly challenging.
Construction has had to contend with the impact of demolition on congested and highly-populated, surrounding areas. Then there is the issue of ancient-relics protection. Along Line 5 are numerous historic sites; metro-construction regulations state that no tunnel shall be bored within a certain distance of ancient relics. Add COVID to the mix and Line 5 is turning out to be a nightmare from start to finish.
The leaked document also reveals that initial planning for many other lines of the Nanjing Metro network has been wide of the mark. In particular, the routes for Line 13, Line 5 South Extension, Line 15, Line S8 South Extension, Line 17 East Extension and Line 18, have all undergone major adjustments.