Things are again hotting up on the Nanjing Metro network which is now poised for considerable expansion. In the latest development, the first train has been delivered for Line S4, our first link with not another city, but another province altogether.
That would be the link with Chuzhou City of Anhui Province, which lies to the northwest of Nanjing. We might call it Nanjing Metro Line S4 or the Ningchu Line (宁滁线), while our comrades over in Anhui would likely prefer the alternative moniker, the Chuzhou-Nanjing Intercity Railway (滁宁城际铁路).
And so it came to be that on 2 November, the first-train receiving ceremony for the Chuzhou-Nanjing Intercity Railway was held outside Chuzhou’s Xiangguan Depot, some 2 days after the train was delivered from manufacturers, CRRC Puzhen.
The delivery highlights a fact which is quite a big deal, for both those in Chuzhou and us Nanjingers. Why? Because the completion of the line back in August marking a breakthrough in the construction of the very first trans-provincial intercity metro line in all of China. Or so claims the China Railway Construction Investment Group.
That statement, however, is only true on account of a technicality. The Shanghai Metro already extends across the border into Jiangsu Province, to Kunshan in Suzhou. But Shanghai is not a province; it’s one of China’s four municipalities, so the statement still holds water.
Including the two termini at Nanjing North Railway Station and Chuzhou Railway Station, Line S4 is 55.3 kilometres long, comprising 17 stations, including three underground and 14 which are elevated.
With the trains capable of a maximum speed of 140 kilometres per hour, it is expected a journey from Nanjing to Chuzhou shall take approximately 1 hour. That said, the Line includes passing loops at select stations to allow for express through services which could shorten the journey time considerably.
For local services which stop at every station along the route, trains will be able to accelerate and decelerate very quickly, providing for faster journey times between adjacent stations.
According to Railway News, the livery of the new train is is inspired by a phoenix with an orange belt and headlights akin to its eyes, an idea drawn from the famed phoenix painting of Chuzhou.
With the delivery made and the formal ceremony over, so testing and trial operations are now underway. As to an opening date, there has been no official word, but it appears early 2023 is likely.
