CHINA: Hefei metro Line 4 was opened for revenue service on opened on December 26, being one of six new routes inaugurated that day.
Running for 41·4 km, the L-shaped fully underground line connecting the western and northeast suburbs is the fifth line to start operation in the capital of Anhui province. It runs from Qinglonggang in the west to Hefei Nan station before turning north to reach the Hefei Comprehensive Bonded Zone at Zongbaoqu. The line has 31 stations, including four interchanges with other routes. Connections are provided to Line 3 at Tushuguan and Fangmiao, with Line 2 at Dongqili and with lines 1 and 5 at Hefei Nan.
Construction of Line 4 was approved by the Provincial Development & Reform Commission in 2016, allowing work to start the following year. Its opening is expected to increase ridership on the Hefei metro network from 850 000 to more than 1 million passengers/day.
The line is operated by a fleet of 47 six-car Type B trainsets supplied by CRRC Puzhen, of which the first was delivered to Hefei Nangang depot on April 17 2020. These aluminium bodied trainsets are 114 m long and 2 880 mm wide, giving a crush load capacity of 2 054. They operate at a maximum speed of 80 km/h, giving a commercial end-to-end average speed of 37 km/h including stops.
For energy efficiency, the trains are fitted with LED interior lighting, a passenger information system where the volume is adjusted automatically to reflect the background noise, and an intelligent air conditioning system which automatically adjusts the volume of fresh air and the cooling capacity to suit the number of passengers in the train. The air conditioning system is also fitted with advanced light plasma purification devices.
Under the metro Phase 3 expansion plan approved by the National Development & Reform Commission, Line 4 is due to be extended southwest by a further 12·9 km.
