Today, Nanjing once again strengthens its infrastructure with the opening of Metro Line 3, marking a serious improvement for residents of the Pukou area.
At 10am on its first day of operation, the line was packed with people traveling on the first metro line in Nanjing to fully traverse the Yangtse River, sending a clear message that this line was more than necessary.
Brightly yellow clad volunteers were on hand to enthusiastically assist with any issues and questions relating to the new line, as well as handing out a surprisingly useful “Travel Guide to Passengers” provided by the Nanjing Metro, which aside from operation hours, metro card charging stations and toilet information featured only the minimum amount of ridiculous tutorials, such as how to use an escalator. Aside from this minor crack-up, they would do well to make this useful guide available online.
Arguably going into service eight months too late, “little green” as it has been nicknamed by locals (the only one to have been awarded this honour) connects downtown Daxinggong station with not only Pukou but also line S8, which runs out to Jinniuhu, the Youth Olympic Sports lake. During the Games S8 was floating on the Northern banks of the river much like an orphan, calling into question its existence.
Now, however all is right with the world as Taifeng Lu, the interchange of both lines and seemingly popular destination to exit the metro as well, has turned into Pukou’s major transportation hub. Other notable stops on the line include Jiming Temple, major tourist attraction, which offers access to the city wall, and Kazimen, finally providing a quicker and more comfortable route to IKEA for the vehicle-less.
In terms of decoration, the Northern end of the line seems rather subdued, no sign of the flashy murals to be found at more prominent stops such as Kazimen or of any fancy themes as sported by Line 10. There is a gold and silver colour system, which seems to switch from silver in Pukou to Gold our side of the river, though speculations whether Jiangning was awarded bronze will for the moment remain just that.
Hints of the lines to come can already be found on the line plan in the metro as white stickers above Jiming Temple suggest Line 4 is being completed in the foreseeable future, while Nanjing South is sporting another one, indicating that if current plans are accurate either Line 6 or Line 12 are next in line.
While there are still minor indications that Line 3 is not fully completed yet, e.g. Shuangyuan Men, the final stop before crossing the river into Pukou, remains closed and not all exits are accessible at some of the stations, overall today has been another grand success for the Nanjing metro system, catapulting the city further towards its megalomaniac projections of 17 metro lines by 2030.
