Line 18 of the
Chengdu Metro
The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system has fifteen subway lines and one light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. ...
() is an express
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 ...
line that connects the urban area of
Chengdu
Chengdu; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ; Chinese postal romanization, previously Romanization of Chinese, romanized as Chengtu. is the capital city of the Chinese province of Sichuan. With a ...
with
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
. Line 18's color is
teal. The Phase 1 & 2 of Line 18 is in total 69.39 km in length.
It is also the biggest PPP project in China.
The section from South Railway Station to Tianfu International Airport North Station started operation on 18 December 2020.
Between
Chengdu South Railway Station and
Western China International Expo City Station, the line runs adjacent to
Line 1 essentially forming a four track subway. Line 18 runs express between the two stations, skipping a number of stops that Line 1 makes. The four track alignment with Line 1 will be extended to North Railway Station once Phase 3 of the line is completed.
Description
Phase 1 & 2
Phase 1 and 2 of the line, which is currently in operation, start at Chengdu South Railway Station and end at
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
. The total length is .
The line officially started construction on August 16, 2016. The section from South Railway Station to Sancha started operation on 27 September 2020.
The line will use 8-car Type A rolling stock. The rolling stock have features designed for medium distance travel, such as a 140 km/h maximum speed and wide station spacing.
The line will also feature distinct express and local services using passing tracks at select stations with an express service stopping only at 4 intermediate stations,
and planned to complete a trip between Chengdu South Railway Station to
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
in 35 minutes. The local service will stop at all stations on Line 18 and will complete the trip in 40 to 50 minutes.
Phase 3
On December 9, 2019, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Sichuan Province approved new extensions for Line 18. Line 18 Phase 3 includes North Extension, Linjiang Section, and South Extension. It is 16.715 kilometers long, all underground. In total, 6 underground stations (4 transfer stations), 1 reserved station, and 1 new depot will be built.
North Section
Line 18 is planned to extend north to on
Line 1 serving downtown Chengdu and providing full parallel express service along the core portion of
Line 1. The length of the extension is 10.985 kilometers with 4 new stations.
South Section
Line 18 is also planned to extend south beyond Tianfu International Airport Terminals 1 & 2 Station to Guanyan,
adding 5.75 kilometers and 2 new underground stations and Linjiang Depot.
On June 18, 2020, the Government of Chengdu changed the name of Linjiang Station to Guanyan Station.
[
]
Phase 4
Jianyang Housing and Urban Planning Bureau officially released the plan for Line 18 Phase 4 to be extended to Jianyang South Railway Station.
Additionally, Line 18 will connect with the proposed Line S3 (Ziyang line) at Futian Station. Line S3 (Ziyang line) is currently undergoing geological investigation in central Ziyang
Ziyang ( zh, s=资阳 , t=資陽 , p=Zīyáng , w=Tzu-yang) is a prefecture-level city in eastern Sichuan province, China. It is bordered by the provincial capital of Chengdu to the northwest, Deyang to the north, Suining to the northeast, Chong ...
.
History
* On July 11, 2016, the NDRC approved the third phase of expansion for the Chengdu Metro, which includes Line 18.
* On August 16, 2016, Line 18 started construction.
* On February 28, 2017, first tunnel machine started tunneling.
* On June 27, 2017, Sichuan Development and Reform Commission approved phase 2.
* On August 18, 2017, the first station: Xinglong Station finished roofing and construction.
* On October 24, 2018, Futian - T3/T4 section finished tunnel construction.
* On January 29, 2019, Phase 1 and Phase 2 finished viaduct construction.
* On May 31, 2019, the first tunnel section was completed.
* On June 2, 2019, all tunnels in Phase 1 and Phase 2 are connected.
* On June 13, 2019, Line 18's first train started testing in Chengdu.
* On June 1, 2020, systems testing and debugging began.
* On June 2, 2020, Line 18, the biggest PPP project in China, started its 3-month trial operation in preparation for opening.
* On August 6, 2020, Line 18 completed fire-prevention assessment.
* On September 27, 2020, the first and second section (from South Railway Station to Sancha) of Line 18 was opened.
* On December 18, 2020, Line 18 (excluding) to was opened.
* On June 27, 2021, an infill station, station opened with Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
.
* In December 2022, Chengdu Metro's deepest, and also first 4-line transfer station: , finished digging. Line 18 Phase 1's platform is 45.5M deep, with ~ 's deepest tunnel at 48.8M, equivalent to 16-floors underground. has Line 1, Line 4, Line 10, and Line 18.
* On 26 March 2023, Line 18 has increased express service from 6 to 16 trains, to match the increasing needs for Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
and daily commuters. Line 18 also increased 58 trains daily (36 trains for Airport Express Service).
* On 1 June 2023, express service has restructured to be through train services, no longer stop at Incubation Park, Haichang Road and Sancha.
* On 13 August 2023, Futian station opened service.
* On 28 November 2023, with start of line 19 phase 2 operation and interchange-only open of Tianfu Station, two cross-line through services have introduced, one stop at each stations of line 19 and stations of line 18 east of Tianfu Station, another "directly through" service, 6 times to-and-fro per a day, from Jinxing to Terminal 1 & 2 of Tianfu International Airport.
Stations
See also
* Chengdu Metro
The Chengdu Metro is the rapid transit system of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, China. With the opening of Line 1 on 27 September 2010, the system has fifteen subway lines and one light rail line. It has subsequently undergone rapid expansion. ...
* Chengdu Tianfu International Airport
Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (; also known as Tianfu Airport) is one of two international airports serving Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in Southwestern China. It was planned in 2013 and opened in 2021 as Chengdu Shuangliu I ...
* Urban rail transit in China
Urban rail transit in China encompasses a broad range of urban and suburban electric passenger rail mass transit systems including subway, light rail, tram and maglev. Some classifications also include non-rail bus rapid transport.
As o ...
* Jianyang
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chengdu Metro, Line 18
Chengdu Metro lines
Railway lines opened in 2020
2020 establishments in China
Airport rail links in China