CHINA: A 4 km undersea tunnel has been opened as part of the 38·3 km southern extension of Qingdao metro Line 1 from Qingdao Bei Railway Station to Wangjiagang which was inaugurated on December 30.
This is the city’s second undersea tunnel following the 5·4 km sea crossing on the east-west Line 8 which was opened in December 2020. Construction of the undersea section of Line 1 through 18 fracture zones began in September 2015, and tunnelling was completed in November 2018.
The Line 1 extension passes under the city centre and serves the main line terminus before heading southwest across the neck of Jiaozhou Bay to Fenghangao and Wangjiagang. The line is now 60·1 km long with 41 stations. It is operated by a fleet of 67 six-car Type B trainsets manufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang. These are 118 m long, and have a maximum speed of 100 km/h and a capacity of 1 900 passengers, including 248 seated.
