CHINA: The Jiangtiao suburban line in Chongqing has opened, linking Tiaodeng with Shengquansi. An unusual feature of the line is dual voltage electrification, with the northern section from Tiaodeng to Shilinsi and the Zhongliangshan tunnel electrified at 1·5 kV DC and the rest of the route at 25 kV 50 Hz.
The 28·4 km line opened on August 6 includes a 5·9 km underground section and 22·5 km elevated or at-grade. There are seven stations including the Jiangjin High Speed Railway station.
Services are operated by Chongqing Rail Transit using 15 six-car 120 km/h CRRC Changchun Type As trainsets.
There are six trains per hour in the morning and evening peaks and four per hour off peak, with a journey time from Tiaodeng to Shengquansi of 28 min.
In the planning stage the line was designated as a southwestern extension of the metro Line 5, and some services will run through between the lines once a connection at Tiaodeng station opens in late 2023.
The National Development & Reform Commission approved construction of the line in September 2015. Several financing models were considered but the decision was made in 2016 to build the line under a PPP concession which includes 28 years of operation. Construction began in in May 2016 and test running started in March 2022.
Planning is underway for a 4·6 km extension from Shengquansi to Dingshan, with two stations and a crossing of the River Yangtze.
