Nanjing’s metro system has been conspicuous in recent years for, well, not very much. As other cities all over China have opened new metro lines one after the other, Nanjing has stagnated. Thoroughly leapfrogged. Thankfully and finally, that’s about to change.
All being well, three new metro lines are set to open in Nanjing before 2022 is out. Except that two of them are extensions to existing lines, and one of those isn’t even very long. It’s also only got two stations.
But they are about to make a big difference in the lives of a lot of people. First up is the northern extension to Nanjing Metro Line 1, which will see trains continuing on from the existing terminus at Maigaoqiao, to Xiaozhuang, Jixiang’an, Yanziji, Badoushan and the new terminus at Baguazhou Bridge South. From an engineering perspective, the extension to Line 1 passed its project acceptance last Thursday, 15 September.
Partly in Line 1’s northerly neighbourhood is where trains will also soon be running on Phase 1 of Line 7. This is a part of Nanjing almost completely unserved by the Nanjing Metro network at present.
This initial section of Line 7 shall run from its eastern terminus at Mufu Xi Lu near the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge on its southern side in a largely northeasterly direction.
Stations along the route shall comprise Wutang Guang Chang, Mufu Shan, Xiaozhuang, Wanshou, Dingjiazhuang, Dingjiazhuang South, Yaohua Xin Cun, Yaohua Men and a terminus at Xianxin Lu.
Among these, Wutang Guang Chang shall be an intersection with Line 3, Xiaozhuang Line 1, and Wanshou and Xianxin Lu the future lines 6 and 8, respectively.
Ground was broken on Line 7 on 29 November, 2017. When opened, Line 7 shall also be Nanjing’s first completely automated metro line.
Lastly, there shall also be opened this year the southern extension to Line S8. That puts it in Jiangbei, where, despite being just 2.072 kilometres long, it will make a world of difference to hundreds of thousands of people.
Line S8’s extension begins at the existing terminus, Taishan Xincun, and runs southward along Daqiao Bei Lu. There shall be just two stops; Maofangchang Lu and the new terminus, Yangtze River Bridge North.
So will all three new routes open on the same day? Probably. Will that day be an auspicious date? You betcha. The Nanjinger’s thinking of running a sweepstakes. Anyone care to make a wager?