CHINA: Governor of Zhejiang Province Xia Baolong opened Hangzhou's first metro line with a ceremony at Wulin Square station on November 24
Line 1 runs from Xianghu in the south to Linping and Wenzelu in the north, with 41 km of the 48 km route underground. There are 31 stations, including Longxiangqiao which serves tourist destination West Lake.
The total capital cost of Line 1 is put at 22bn yuan. Hangzhou Metro Group was responsible for civil works, and formed the Hangzhou MTR Corp Ltd 51:49 joint venture with MTR Corp to invest 8·3bn yuan in the electrical and mechanical systems and operate the line for 25 years under a PPP contract. CSR Nanjing Puzhen has supplied 48 six-car Type B trains, with styling by MBD Design.
This is MTR Corp's third metro investment project in mainland China, after Beijing Line 4 and Shenzhen's Longhua Line.
The 33·7 km first phase of Line 2 with 26 stations is under construction, and a total of eight lines are planned.
