Users of Line 2 on Nanjing’s metro network are advised that trains will not be stopping at Maqun station from 1 November thru 10 December. The move is in order to ensure a smooth opening and operation for Metro Line S6 toward the end of the year.
The closure was reported yesterday, giving those who frequent Maqun Metro Station just the weekend to make alternative arrangements. However, special buses are being laid on to transport commuters between Maqun and other nearby stations; buses B7 and B8.
The B7 bus shall shuttle between Xianhe Men and Zhongling Jie stations, also on Line 2, via Maqun. Away from the Metro, B8 is for those who take the Qilin tram in or out of Maqun, and will operate between Magao Lu Station and Jingma Lu Station on Metro Lines 2 and 4.
Both buses shall run on weekdays and during rush-hour periods only; 07:00-09:00 and 17:00-19:00, reports the Yangtze Evening News.
According to Nanjing Metro statistics, in October of this year, Maqun saw an average inbound daily flow of 24,700 passengers and some 25,600 outbound. Those same numbers for the weekends were 19,400 and 20,600 respectively.
Line S6 is promising to be one of the first new parts of the Nanjing Metro to enter operation, together with the northerly extension of Line 1 and the westerly extension of Line 2. It is very possible that all three may well open on the same day.
But Line S6 stand out for being quite a bit different. It shall be the first of Nanjing’s inter city metro lines; joining the Southern Capital to our neighbouring city of Zhenjiang.
Running between Maqun Station and Jurong station in Zhenjiang, there are a total of 13 stations along the way, including Tangshan, making for an easy trip out east to take a dip in the hot springs.
In addition, Line S6 will enter service as Nanjing’s fastest, on which trains can travel at up to 120 kilometres per hour over the 43.642-kilometre-long route.
Joining Line S6 with a bit of luck next year will then be Nanjing’s second inter city route. And Line S4 will also be inter provincial, linking Nanjing with the city of Chuzhou in nearby Anhui Province, where it will interconnect with the Chuzhou metro system.
