CHINA: The suburban rail network in the city of Jinhua expanded on December 28 with the opening of the first section of the Yidong Line in Yiwu.
The 48·4 km line is intended to augment the Jinyi Line, which opened on August 30 2022, as part of the Jinyidong Line network connecting the neighbouring towns of Jinhua and Yiwu with the Ming & Qing Dynasty Palaces at Hengdian.
The initial 27·2 km section of the Yidong Line runs through central Yiwu, from Lingyun to Sports Center; it serves 11 stations and connects with the Jinyi Line at Qintang. A short northern extension now under construction will take the line from Lingyun to Yiwu railway station, while an eastern branch will continue the route from Sports Center to the Ming & Qing Dynasty Palaces via Hengdian railway station.
When completed, the T-shaped Jinyidong Line network will total 107·2 km, serving 12 underground and 19 elevated stations. CRRC Changchun is supplying a fleet of 50 Type B trainsets which were ordered in two batches. Taking power at 1·5 kV DC from a third rail, these 120 km/h trainsets are formed of four powered and two trailer cars with interiors designed for suburban travel giving a capacity of 1 488 passengers.
All stations on the Jinyidong Line are equipped with facial recognition gates.
