CHINA: The 35.3 km first phase of Wuhan Line 12 was inaugurated on May 1. The 23-station line is due to become a loop by the end of this year, when a second phase will open. The local authority says this will create the longest orbital metro line in the world.
The first phase of Line 12 links Gangduhuayuan and Moshuihu Park, forming the southern part of the future ring line. A single journey over this section takes 58 min. Line 12 is a core component of the “ring + radial” metro concept being delivered in the conurbation; the second phase will be 24.6 km long and serve a further 14 stations.
For the inauguration of the first phase, 43 of the 79-strong fleet equipped for GoA4 operation have been delivered. The six-car Type A trains can run at up to 80 km/h. They have a capacity of 1 836 passengers. Features include automatic train wake-up, driverless operation, automatic turnback and a ‘sleep mode’ for the end of service. Suzhou-based escalator manufacturer Canny Elevator delivered 123 escalators for the Line 12 stations.
The project is being delivered via a Public-Private Partnership structure implemented on a Build-Operate-Transfer basis. The promoters were China Railway Development & Investment Group and China Railway Construction Investment Group.
With the opening of the first phase of Line 12, the total length of Wuhan’s metro network has reached 553 km, serving 335 stations.