Citizens living near to the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge on the north banks of the River have a reason to be joyful. They are now just one step from having access to the Nanjing Metro on their door step, as the extension to line S8 commences trials.
Today, 23 June, is the date given by Nanjing Metro for those trial runs to begin, from when it will take 3 months to satisfy all the various requirements before the extension may carry fare-paying passengers.
During the trials, Nanjing Metro will repeatedly verify, adjust and improve the availability, safety and reliability of various technical parameters, equipment systems and functions of train operation, by simulating a real-world operating environment. The tests also include exercising emergency response ability, reports Nanjing Daily.
Then a little later, Metro staff get what is perhaps the most-envied part of their job; riding the new line for free pretending to be passengers. In this way, they are able to provide valuable feedback so as to optimise the passenger experience.
It’s been a very long time coming for the residents of Jiangbei. In fact, this correspondent used to live in the area near to what will be one of the extension’s stations and can testify that the excited talk of a metro line coming started well over a decade ago.
It may only be 2.1 kilometres long, but the Line S8 extension will make all the difference in the world for a lot of people in the area. For not only will they have access to the Metro, it will only be three or four stations up the line to Taifeng Lu, where they may transfer to Line 3 for a trip into the city centre.
The Line S8 extension starts at Taishan Xincun Station, the existing terminus, and proceeds south under Daqiao Bei Lu. Line S8 in the process receives two new stations, namely Maofangchang and Yangtze River Bridge North.
The Yangtze River Bridge North Station shall also be a transfer point in the future, bringing Line S8 together with Line 11.
Nanjing Metro Line S8 was the fifth metro line opened in our city and the first north of the Yangtze River. It was officially put into operation on 1 August, 2014, in time to service the sailing events for that year’s Youth Olympics which were held at Jinniu Lake in Luhe District.
The Nanjinger is projecting an opening date of 1 October, National Day, for the Line S8 extension, together with the northern extension to Metro Line 1, which this publication reported on 8 June.
