The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system consists of 12 subway lines and 1 light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. Since the opening of Lines 6, 8, 9, and 17 on 18 December 2020, the Chengdu Metro is the 4th longest metro system in the world.
There are currently 12 operating subway lines totaling of track, and 1 tram line (Line T2). The Chengdu Metro serves over 8 million trips per day. As of 2021, about 2.2 million and 4.6 million people live within of a subway station in Chengdu, respectively.
Operating network
There are 12 subway lines operating currently, covering with 337 stations and a light rail line with 36 stop (Line T2) operating, covering .
Line 1
The first phase of Line 1 cost 7 billion yuan to construct. A natural ventilation system has been used in the underground section of Line 1 on the subway system from Southern Third Ring Road to Jincheng Plaza Station. Square ventilation units are built every along the subway top to allow fresh air from the ground enter the construction site underground. The method is used in subway construction in other countries as it cuts the construction cost and it saves energy. The subway system is the first in China to adopt such a ventilation system during construction. Chengdu Metro is planning to set up a section for subway fire control and introduce the latest fire fighting technologies and vehicles. Line 1's color is dark blue.
Line 2
Line 2 is a crosstown northwest–southeast trunk route. This line serves the Chengdu East railway station. Line 2 began operation on 16 September 2012. An long mostly elevated extension to Longquanyi began testing in April 2014 opened in October 2014. It total it is currently long. Line 2's color is orange.
Line 3
Line 3 runs in a northeast–southwest direction from Chengdu Medical College to Shuangliu West Station. The total length is . Phase 1 of this line began construction on 28 April 2012, and opened on 31 July 2016. It was Chengdu's final line to use the lower capacity type B trains, subsequent lines favoring the longer and wider Type A cars. Line 3's color is magenta.
Line 4
Line 4 is the third line to enter revenue service on the metro network in Chengdu, Sichuan. Line 4 runs in an east–west direction, stretching from Wansheng in Wenjiang to Xihe in the Longquanyi. The first phase started construction on 22 July 2011, and began operation on 26 December 2015. Testing began on the east of west extensions of Line 4 as part of Phase II expansion on 10 December 2016. Line 4's color is green.
Line 5
Line 5 is a crosstown north–south trunk line. Despite being numbered such, it was the seventh line to open, having started operation on 27 December 2019. Line 5's color is purple.
Line 6
Line 6 is a crosstown northwest–south-west pivotal line. It is the second longest metro line in Chengdu and the longest non-branching line in China at (with Chengdu Line 18 being in first place for both). It has more stations than any other metro line in China, with 54 currently plus two more infill stations coming later. It is one of the four lines to have started operation on 18 Dec 2020. Line 6's color is brown.
Line 7
Line 7 is a loop line which runs around downtown Chengdu. Despite the number, it was actually the sixth line to open, having started operation on 6 December 2017. Line 7's color is sky blue.
Line 8
Line 8 is a crosstown northeast–southwest filling line. Phase 1 started operation on 18 Dec 2020, the same day as lines 6, 9, and 18. Line 8's color is chartreuse.
Line 9
Line 9 will be the system's second circle line when it is completed. It is the first driverless metro line in Mid/West China. Phase 1 started operation on 18 Dec 2020. Line 9's color is bright orange.
Line 10
Line 10 is a line serving Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. It started operation on 6 September 2017. It was also the first line to use the higher-capacity type A trains. Line 10's color is blue.
Line 17
Line 17 is a metro line at west side of Chengdu. Phase 1, including phase 1 of line 19, started operation on 18 Dec 2020. Like line 18 is uses a special variant of Type A trains with one less door per side and using 25 kV AC overhead power, as opposed to the "standard" 1500 V DC most newer metros in China use. Line 17's color is pale green.