The much-heralded Guangzhou Metro Line 18 has finally been put into service after due tests. From 14:00 September 28, the 160 km/h trains on the line have begun to roar from Nansha District to downtown Guangzhou, taking as little as 30 minutes.
The initial section now put into operation stretches 58.3 km from Wanqingsha, Nansha to Xiancun, Tianhe, with 8 stops in between. Running parallel to Line 3, Line 18 serves as another option of going to Haizhu District and Zhujiang New Town.
It is reported that the first train in Wanqingsha station comes at 6:00, and the last train at 22:30, while in Xiancun station, the first train is at 6:15, and the last train at 23:15.The initial section stops at 8 stations, Wanqingsha, Hengli, Panyu Square, Nacun Wanbo, Shaxi, Longtan, Modiesha, and Xiancun. One-way ticket price of the line ranges from RMB 2 to 11.
Of the 8 new stations on Line 18, 3 are interchange stations - Panyu Square (Line 3, the upcoming Line 22), Nancun Wanbo (Line 7), and Modiesha (Line 8).
15 trains with a top speed of 160 km/h are going on line. The whole trip takes approximately 42 minutes and trains will arrive at 7.5-minute intervals.
In addition to regular services, the line will also arrange two-way express services every 37.5 minutes. The express trains will stop only at 4 stations, Wanqingsha, Hengli, Panyu Square, and Xiancun, and the whole journey to downtown Guangzhou takes a mere 30 minutes.
All the travel information is displayed on the Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) in the trains and the LED screen in the stations. There will also be broadcasts of important information during the entire ride.
Author: Ray (intern)
Photo: Fu Chaojun
Editor: Will, Jerry
