The Foshan Metro (; branded as FMetro) is the

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system of the city of

Foshan Foshan (, ; Chinese: 佛山) is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the Pearl River Delta m ...

Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. Guangfo line is operated by Guangzhou Metro Corporation, and all other lines are operated by the state-owned Foshan Metro Group. It is the tenth metro system to be built in

mainland China "Mainland China", also referred to as "the Chinese mainland", is a Geopolitics, geopolitical term defined as the territory under direct administration of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the aftermath of the Chinese Civil War. In addit ...

. Construction began in 2002 and the first line opened on 3 November 2010. The metro system has one new line and one extension under construction.

Lines in operation

Guangfo Line (Line 1)

Line 1, also known as the Guangfo line, is a fully underground long intercity metro line that connects Guangzhou and Foshan. The line is owned by Guangdong Guangfo Inter-City Co., Ltd., a subsidiary co-owned by Guangzhou Metro (51%) and FMetro (49%), and currently operated by Guangzhou Metro Corporation. The first section of the line, from Xilang to Kuiqi Lu in

, opened for operation in November 2010. The most recent extension from Yangang to Lijiao was opened on 28 December 2018.

Line 2

Line 2 is a long line that runs from Guangzhou South railway station to its current western terminus, Nanzhuang. Line 2 was independently invested, constructed and operated by FMetro. The first and currently open phase of Line 2 began construction in 2014 and was opened on 28 December 2021. The second phase, a westerly extension into Gaoming District has been approved by the NDRC for construction.

Line 3

Line 3 currently runs km from Shunde College Railway Station in

Shunde District Shunde (Shun Tak in Cantonese) is a district of the city of Foshan, Guangdong province, located in the Pearl River Delta. It had a population of 2,464,784 as of the 2010 census. Once a traditional agricultural county, it has become one of the mo ...

north via Zhen'an to Zhongshan Park in Chancheng District. Most of its 26 stations are underground, with 2 stations elevated. The initial section of Line 3's first phase opened on 28 December 2022. The rest of the first phase extending the line to Foshan University Xianxi Campus for a total length of opened on 23 August 2024 without a small section at Foshan railway station.

Gaoming Tram Line 1

Nanhai Tram Line 1

Lines under construction and future expansions

Expansion plans

Finances

Fares

There was a debate between Foshan and Guangzhou over fares of Guangfo Metro. The debate has since been settled as Foshan accepted Guangzhou's fare proposal. FMetro gave out 16,000 tickets for free when it first began operating in November 2010.

Issues

Low ridership and a lack of alternative revenue (over 75% of 2024 income came from fares, while other cities in China have greater revenue shares from real estate and commercial operations around stations) have led to the system running continual losses despite government subsidies. This led to Foshan Metro group cutting operating hours and train frequencies on Line 2 in March 2025, which were later extended to all lines in May along with powering off some escalators and lights as well as setting air-conditioning to "energy-saving mode".

References

External links

FMetro

{{Rapid transit in Asia Rapid transit in China Rail transport in Guangdong Underground rapid transit in China 2010 establishments in China Railway lines opened in 2010 2010 in Foshan