By TANG Jun
The second phase of Metro Line 19 of Chengdu began operations on Tuesday. Stretching for more than 100 kilometers, it’s the longest subway in China, surpassing Shanghai Metro Line 11, which covers a total of 82.4 kilometers. It is also the fastest at 160 kilometers per hour.
High-speed air link
In 2021, Chengdu opened Tianfu International Airport, which has now surpassed the old airport Shuangliu in passenger flow. In the first 10 months, Tianfu Airport saw about 37 million passengers, while Shuangliu Airport had around 25 million.
Chengdu's air passenger flow is the third in the country, after Beijing and Shanghai. Chengdu's urban rail network now exceeds 600 kilometers, fourth in the country behind Shanghai (825km), Beijing (807km) and Guangzhou (610km).
Line 19 now links the two airports with direct trains taking only 15 minutes. If passengers choose regular trains, the travel time between the two is 50 minutes.
Long way to go
Chengdu's urban rail network now exceeds 600 kilometers, fourth in the country behind Shanghai (825km), Beijing (807km) and Guangzhou (610km).
Currently, there are at least seven metro lines under construction in Chengdu. Most are expected to open next year. Upon the completion of all these lines, the total mileage of the Chengdu Metro will reach 730 kilometers.
