CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- At 2:00 pm on the afternoon of December 28, Rail Transit Line 18 invested, constructed and operated by China Railway Construction Corporation (CRCC) officially opened for initial operation, another transportation artery connecting the north and south regions built in the central urban area of Chongqing.

Rail Transit Line 18 is 29 kilometers long in total, with 19 stations, starting from Fuhualu Station in Yuzhong District, passing through Xietaizi Station (temporarily suspended), Olympic Sports Center Station, Shipingqiao Station, Yangjiaping Station, Tanzikou Station, Huangjueping Station, Sichuan Fine Arts Institute Station, Dianchang Station, Lijiatuo Bridge Station, Chongqing University of Technology Station, Huaxi Industrial Park Station, Babinlu Wetland Park Station, Qiezixi Station, Baijusi Station, Funiuxi Station, Jinaoshan Station and Tiaodeng Station, stopping at Tiaodengnan Station in Dadukou District.

After the initial opening of Line 18, the first train departs at 6:30, the last train departs at 23:00, and the minimum travel interval is 7 minutes. It takes about 46 minutes for the one-way journey from the origin station Fuhua Road Station to the terminal Tiaodengnan Station. According to relevant people from Chongqing City Transportation Development & Investment Group, passengers can transfer between Line 18 and Rail Transit Lines 1, 2, 5, Line Jiangtiao, Line 9 and Loop Line.

What benefits will the opening of Line 18 bring to citizens' travel, regional development and urban rail transit construction?

Making the travel more convenient for citizens along the line

"I can reach my company directly by taking rail transit train in the future. So convenient!" Ms. Li, who lives in Lijiatuo, Banan District, “thumbed up” for the opening of Line 18.

Ms. Li works in Chongqing Tiandi, Hualongqiao, Yuzhong District. She usually takes a bus to Qilong Station on Line 3 and takes the rail transit train. After arriving at Guanyinqiao Station, she transfers to Line 9 to Fuhua Road Station, which takes more than 70 minutes. Now, she takes the train on Line 18 directly to Fuhua Road at her doorstep, which takes less than 25 minutes, saving about 45 minutes.

"The opening of Line 18 will benefit about 600,000 people along the line, and it is expected that the daily passenger flow will exceed 150,000 during the initial operation." According to Zou Jiaju, Director of the Rail Transit Construction Department of the Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Construction Committee, Line 18 is a north-south backbone line from the southern to central areas in Chongqing, connecting important functional areas such as Chongqing international business area, art peninsula area, Diaoyuzui – Chongqing Iron and Steel area and Lijiatuo Center, which effectively make the rail transit lines network denser in the southern area of the central trough.

In the view of Hu Qifan, chief engineer of Chongqing Rail Transit Line 18 Project of China Railway Design Corporation, Line 18 crosses the Yangtze River twice, making the number of Chongqing rail transit lines crossing the river increase to 14, which alleviates the traffic pressure in the central urban area and fills the gap of "zero subway" within the Jiulong Peninsula and Lijiatuo cluster, and greatly makes the travel more convenient for residents along the line.

Residents living in Dadukou District and Yuzhong District will also benefit from it. Line 18 has 6 stations in Dadukou District, among which Tiaodeng Station is a station where passengers can transfer between three lines, which makes the travel more convenient for residents near stations such as Funiuxi, Baijusi, Qiezixi and other places. As the most densely populated area in Chongqing, Yuzhong District has increased the number of rail transit lines in densely populated areas such as Daping and Hualongqiao Stations on Line 18. Among them, Xietaizi Station (temporarily suspended) is a three-line transfer station (Line 1, Line 5, and Line 18), which will ease traffic jams in Daping and Hualongqiao. In the future, Line 18 will also be connected to the North Extension Project of Line 18 under construction (from Fuhua Road Station to Xiaoshizi Station), making Xiaoshizi Station a multi-line transfer station, greatly facilitating communication and connection between the southern region and Yuzhong District.

In addition, Line 18 serves as a rapid rail transit channel from Jiangjin to the central urban area, especially Banan District. Residents living in Jiangjin need take for only 5 stations after transferring to Line 18 at Tiaodeng to get Banan Yudong.

This marks the completion of all three rounds of planning for Chongqing's rail transit system

In addition to facilitating citizen’s travel and driving industrial development, the completion of Line 18 is also of great significance for the construction of rail transit in our city.

"The opening of Line 18 marks the completion of all three rounds of planning for Chongqing's rail transit system, and will brin three positive impacts to the city's economic and social development," said Zou Jiaju.

Firstly, a spatial pattern has been formed where rail transit serves the national strategy. After the opening of Line 18, the operating mileage of our city's rail transit reached 538 kilometers, with a total of 319 stations, forming a "circular + vertical and horizontal" rail transit network, covering important functional nodes such as airports, high-speed rail stations, comprehensive hubs, and major commercial districts.

Zou Jiaju introduced that after three rounds of construction, Chongqing has built the world's largest mountainous urban rail transit operation network, providing strong support for the construction of the Chengdu Chongqing Economic Circle and the Western Land Sea New Corridor.

Secondly, a development pattern where urban construction is led by rail transit has been formed. The rail network is organically coupled with a "multi center, clustered" spatial structure. The rail lines drive the construction of new areas and new cities, and promote the comprehensive development of TOD (public transportation oriented development) around rail stations, supporting the optimization of urban spatial structure and promotion of function, which is conducive to creating a "one-day living circle".

In addition, a green travel pattern with rail transit as the core has been formed. In 2023, the daily passenger flow of rail transit in Chongqing exceeded 3.6 million, with a maximum of nearly 5 million, accounting for over 50% of the share of public transport passenger travel. The commuting efficiency of citizens continues to increase. (Translated by Hu Chuanmin, Fathom Language Limited)