CHINA: Qingdao metro’s east-west Line 4 was opened for revenue service on December 26, four months ahead of schedule.
The 30·7 km line linking Renmin Huitang in the old city with Dahedong to the east serves 25 stations, although the interchange with Line 1 at Guanxiangshan has not yet opened. Six other stations provide interchange with lines 1, 2, 3 and 11. According to local media, the line is initially expected to carry 200 000 passengers per day.
The city’s seventh metro line to open, Line 4 formed part of the original Qingdao 2013-18 transport plan approved by National Development & Reform Commission in November 2013. Construction began in June 2017, with tunnelling progressing at 900 m/month; at one stage it was the biggest infrastructure project in Shandong province. Test running started in September 2022.
Line 4 is operated by a fleet of 37 six-car Type B1 trainsets, which can run at up to 80 km/h and have capacity for 1 896 passengers. End-to-end journey time between Renmin Huitang to Dahedong is 54 min.
The opening of Line 4 takes the total length of the Qingdao metro to 315 km, making it the 10th longest network in China.
