WUXI metro opened its first inter-urban line, Xichen S1, on January 31. The 30.4km line runs north from an interchange at Yanqiao station on Wuxi metro Line 1 in the city centre to the neighbouring city of Jiangyin in the southeast of Jiangsu province.
Around 10.5km of the new line is underground, with the remainder elevated. A total of 10 stations will be served by Line S1, including one still under construction. The new metro line also provide an interchange with China’s high-speed network at Jiangyin.
Six-car type B trains, built by CRRC Zhuzhou and capable of running at up to 120km/h, started trial running on January 22 ahead of opening to the public earlier this week. End-to-end journey times are 30 minutes.
The trains feature advanced technology such as 360° dynamic image detection systems and cloud-based automated diagnostic processes to improve fault detection and maintenance efficiency.
Wuxi’s mayor, Mr Zhao Jianjun and CRRC vice-president Mr Ma Yunshuang attended the opening ceremony.
Xichen S1 is Wuxi’s fifth metro line. Lines 1 to 4 have opened in stages since 2014 with lines 5 and S2 currently under construction and further lines planned.
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