Guangzhou Metro Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Guangzhou Metro

Info

Owner

City of Guangzhou

Locale

Guangzhou
Foshan

Transit type

Rapid transit

Number of lines

Number of stations

232

Daily ridership

7.678 million (2017 Avg.)
10.0257 million (31 December 2017 Peak)

Website

www.gzmtr.com

Operation

Began operation

28 June 1997

Operator(s)

Guangzhou Metro Corporation

Number of vehicles

444 trains (as of 2017)

Technical

System length

391.8 km (243.5 mi)

Track gauge

1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge

Minimum radius of curvature

206 m (676 ft)

Electrification

Refs	Overhead lines	Third rail
1500 V DC	1 2 3 7 8 9 13 Guangfo	4 5 6 14
650 V AC		APM

Route map
Schematics Physical layout

Guangzhou Metro

Simplified Chinese

广州地铁

Traditional Chinese

廣州地鐵

Jyutping

Gwong²zau¹ Dei⁶tit³

Cantonese Yale

Gwóngjàu Dèihtít

Hanyu Pinyin

Guǎngzhōu Dìtiě

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	Guǎngzhōu Dìtiě
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanization	Gwóngjàu Dèihtít
Jyutping	Gwong²zau¹ Dei⁶tit³

The Guangzhou Metro (simplified Chinese: 广州地铁; traditional Chinese: 廣州地鐵; Mandarin Pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Dìtiě; Jyutping: Gwong²zau¹ Dei⁶tit³) is a fast train system in Guangzhou, China. It helps people travel quickly around the city. This metro system is run by the Guangzhou Metro Corporation. It was the fourth metro system ever built in mainland China.

The idea for the Guangzhou Metro started in the 1980s. Building the first line began in 1993. The metro officially opened in 1997 with its first line, called Line 1. Today, the system has 13 different lines. These lines connect the main parts of Guangzhou with its outer areas. The Guangfo Line even connects Guangzhou to the nearby city of Foshan.

Lots of people use the Guangzhou Metro every day. Over seven million people ride it daily! In one year, it was used more than 2.5 billion times. This makes it one of the busiest metro systems in the world.

History of the Guangzhou Metro
- Early Ideas for a Metro System
- Building Line 1
Images for kids
See also

History of the Guangzhou Metro

Early Ideas for a Metro System

The first idea for a metro in Guangzhou came from Chen Yu. He was the Governor of Guangdong from 1957 to 1967. In 1960, he had tests done to check the water levels underground.

In 1965, Chen Yu and Tao Zhu suggested building a tunnel. This tunnel could be used for people to escape during a war. It could also be used as a metro system. This plan was called "Project Nine."

The original plan for the metro had two lines. Chen Yu imagined a line going north to south. He also planned a line going east to west. These plans are very similar to what Line 1 and Line 2 are today.

However, the east-west line was never built. The north-south line was supposed to be part of Project Nine. But there wasn't enough time, money, or materials. So, instead of a subway, they planned to use trolleybuses in the tunnel. The tunnel was finished in 1966. But it had a dangerous part and could not be used. There were many tries to restart Project Nine in the 1970s, but none of them worked.

Building Line 1

The design for the Guangzhou Metro chosen in 1988.

The metro project officially started again in 1979. It was called the Preparation Office of Guangzhou Metro. The main goal was to help reduce traffic in Guangzhou. Before the 1980s, most underground projects in China were for war. This was one of the first times a project like this was for traffic.

China and France worked together to design the metro. In 1988, four designs were shown to the public. People gave their opinions, and one design was chosen. This design later became Line 1 and Line 2.

Building Line 1 officially began on December 28, 1992. Workers had already started on a test part of the line in October 1992. New building methods were used for the metro. These included immersed tubes and tunnel boring machines. These were new for China at the time.

Building Line 1 cost a lot of money. The city government of Guangzhou paid for the entire project. The mayor at that time, Li Ziliu, wanted to use a method called cut-and-cover for the tunnels. This meant that many buildings had to be taken down. Almost 100,000 people had to move from their homes.

On June 28, 1997, a part of Line 1 opened for testing. This section was about 5.4 kilometers long. The rest of the line, about 13 kilometers, was finished on December 28, 1998. The entire Line 1 was open for people to visit and see between February 16 and March 2, 1999. Line 1 officially opened for everyone on June 28, 1999.