Chongqing Rail Transit

Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT)
Background
Locale	Chongqing
Transit type	rapid transit, straddle-beam monorail
Number of lines	3
Number of stations	55
Annual ridership	45 million (2010) [Line 2 only]
Operation
Began operation	2005
Technical
System length	72.0 kilometres
System map

Chongqing Rail Transit
Simplified Chinese	重庆轨道交通
Traditional Chinese	重慶軌道交通
Transcriptions Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Chóngqìng Gǔidào Jiāotōng

Dongwuyuan station, CRT Line 2

The Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT) also known as Chongqing Metro, is a metro system in Chongqing, China that has been in operation since 2005. CRT serves transportation needs in the city's main business and entertainment downtown areas. It is one of only two urban-rail metro systems in operation in the west of China, the other being Chengdu Metro, which opened in 2010.

As of January 2012, CRT consists of three operating lines, Line 1, a conventional heavy-rail subway, Line 3, and Line 2; a "first of its kind heavy-monorail" in China whose technology is shared with Line 3. Line 2 runs through three administrative districts in the central city (Yuzhong, Jiulongpo, and Dadukou). Line 1 serves as the system's backbone connecting Chongqing's most densely populated areas and Central Business Districts; Jeifangbei, Daping, and Shapingba. A network of up to 18 lines is planned.

CRT has a total track length of 72.0 km in operation. At 55.6 km, the system's two monorail lines form the world's largest monorail network, with the 39.1 km Line 3 being the world's longest single monorail line.

History

The Chongqing Rail Transit is part of the central government's project to develop the Western regions in China and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation had also provided part of the funding of the project. Construction of the Chongqing Rail Transit has been carried out in cooperation between Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd. and Hitachi Monorail, making use of advanced Japanese monorail technology. Construction on Line 2 began in 1999, and it was officially opened to service in June 2005 from Jiaochangkou (Jiefangbei CBD) to Dongwuyuan Chongqing Zoo. An extension between Dongwuyuan and Xinshancun opened in July 2006.

Network

CRT is a unique metro system in China in that most lines use heavy monorail technology. Due to Chongqing's surrounding geography as a hilly, multiple-river city, it is not feasible to construct an all-heavy rail tunnel system given the depths of some many of the stations as one transports through the network. For this reason, only two lines are planned to be heavy-rail while all others are planned to be straddle-beam monorail using heavy vehicles.

Line 1 is the system's first conventional subway running in a deep bore tunnel below Yuzhong and Shapingba Districts. The only other line planned to be conventional subway at this point is Line 6, which is under construction. Line 6 will connect the city's other main central business districts of NanPing in Nan'an District and Jiangbei's Guanyinqiao CBD to Jiefangbei CBD.

The monorail systems employs vehicles with strong climbing capabilities and but have heavy rail capacity which can transport 30,000 passengers per hour per direction which is invaluable in a densely populated but hilly city of Chongqing. Line 2, for example, is for the most part elevated above streets, although a 2.2 km section is underground, including 3 of its 18 stations in the Jeifangbei CBD and Daping downtown areas in densely populated Yuzhong District. In 2010, Line 2 delivered 45 million rides.

To keep up with demand, construction is under way on extensions to Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3, whose primary route is currently under trials. With the recent opening of Line 3 and the pending opening of Line 6 in 2012, all of the core urban area of the city will be accessible by the CRT.

Line	Terminals		Opened	Newest Extension	Total Length in km	Stations
Line 1	Chaotianmen	Shapingba	2011	—	16.40	14
Line 2	Jiaochangkou	Xinshancun	2005	2006	16.50	15
Line 3	Ertang	Jiangbei Airport	2011	2011	39.1	29

Line 1

CRT Line 1's logo

Line 1 runs 16.4 km from Chaotianmen in downtown Chongqing west to Shapingba, and eventually all the way to Shuangbei for a total length of 22.41 km. It is the city's first all-heavy rail subway line and the second completed in Western China. Passenger capacity of the line is 36,000 passengers/hour/direction.

In 1992, the Chongqing government had signed a Build-Operate-Transfer in 1992 with a Hong Kong company, and provided the land for the project, but work ceased in 1997 due to legal issues.^{[citation needed]} Work resumed on the first stretch of the line (from Chaotianmen to Shapingba) on 9 June 2007, and opened to limited operation on July 28. An extension from Shapingba to University Town began in 2009 and is scheduled to be opened in 2013.

Line 1 has 14 stations, including from east to west: Chaotianmen, Xiaoshizi, Jiaochangkou, Qixinggang, Lianglukou, Eling, Daping, Shiyoulu, Xietaizi, Shiqiaopu, Gaomiaocun, Majiayan, Xiaolongkan, and Shapingba stations. Lieshimu, Ciqikou, Shuangpingnan, Shuangpingbei, Laijiaqiao, Tuzhu, Huxi, Daxuecheng (University Town), and Jiandingpo stations are scheduled to open in 2013 once the Phase 2 extension of Line 1 is complete.

Line 1 has transfer interchange stations with Line 2 at Jiaochangkou in Jeifangbei CBD and at Daping. Line 1 has a transfer station with Line 3 at Lianglukou, near the Chongqing Rail Station in the Caiyuanba section of central Yuzhong.

Line 2

CRT Line 2's logo

Line 2, which currently runs 19.15 km and services 18 stations, begins as a subway under downtown Jeifangbei, then runs west along the southern bank of the Jialing River on an elevated line, and then turns south into the city's southwestern inner suburbs, terminating in Dadukou district. Aside from Jeifangbei, Line 2 runs through Daping CBD and Yingjiaping CBD in Jiulongpo District and the Chongqing City Zoo at Dongwuyuan Station. A 6.2-kilometer extension of Line 2 into Ba'nan is currently under construction. Most trains consist of four carriages per train on this line.

Current stations, from northeast to southwest, include Jiaochangkou, Linjiangmen, Huanghuayuan, Daxigou, Zengjiayan, Niujiaotuo, Liziba, Fortuguan, Daping, Yuanjiagang, Xiejiawan, Yangjiaping, Dongwuyuan, Dayancun, Mawangchang, Ping'an, Dadukuo, and Xinshancun.

Line 3

CRT Line 3's logo

Line 3 runs from north to south, linking the districts separated by Chongqing's two main rivers, the Yangtze (Chang Jiang) and Jialing rivers. The initial segment from Lianglukou to Yuanyang (18 stations, 17.5 km) opened on September 29, 2011, with the full 39.1 km length from Ertang to Jiangbei Airport opening on December 30, 2011.

Most trains on this line consists of 6 carriages per train, bigger than on the older Line 2 monorail. There are interchange stations in central Yuzhong district for transfer with Line 1 at Lianglukou (Caiyuanba Intercity Rail/Bus Station), and with Line 2 at Niujiaotuo.

Network expansion

Chongqing Rail Transit is currently expected to have 6 lines crisscrossing the urban districts of the city by 2015, in addition to one loop line connecting them. However, in addition to the extensions to Line 1, Line 2, and Line 3, only one new line was currently under construction as of mid-circa 2011.

Lines Under Construction

Planned Open Date	Route		Name	Terminals		Length(km)	Stations	Status
2012		Line 6	Phase I	Lijia	Shangxin Jie	23.55	16	under construction
2014		Line 3	Phase III	Ertang	Yudong	26.01	12	Phase III under construction

Line 6

Line 6 will be the second heavy-rail subway and is currently under-construction. It is scheduled to open in late 2012 and will connect Nan'an, Yuzhong, and Jiangbei districts in central Chongqing.

Future lines

Planned Open Date	Route		Name	Terminals		Length(km)	Stations	Status	Notes
No Time table		Line 4		Chongqing West Railway Station	International Western Region Panda Convention Center		26	proposed
		Line 5		Jijiang	Danzishi		32	planned
		Line 7		Qingmuguan	Jiulong Garden District		15	planned
		Line 8		Jieshi	Yuzuibei		~13	proposed
		Line 9		Shapingba	Liangjing		~17	planned
		Line 10/Airport Express		Jiangbei Airport T3	CQ North Railway Station		4	Proposed
		Line 11		Tiaoding	Tudibao		~18	planned
		Line 12		Jiangjin	Xiyong		7	planned
		Line 13		Higher Education Mega Center	International Western Region Panda Convention Center		5	planned
		Line 14		Longxing	Yulin		4	planned
		Line 15		Chongqing North Railway Station	Fusheng		6	planned
		Line 16		Fusheng	Shuangbeibei		10	planned
		Line 17		Lujiaonan	Baishiyi		10	planned
		Circle line		Chongqing West Railway Station	Chongqing West Railway Station		31	planned	express line

See also

• List of metro systems
• List of monorail systems
• Metro systems by annual passenger rides

External links

• UrbanRail.net's page on the Chongqing Metro
• Chongqing Metro's Official Web Page (Chinese) , Google translation
• Map
• Photos of Chongqing Metro