Asian Games: 8 Guangzhou metro lines open for Asian Games

Up to eight metro lines will be put into operation to carry athletes and audiences to nearly 80 percent of match venues as of next month when the Asian Games kicks off, said He Lin, deputy general manager of the Guangzhou Metro Corporation on Oct. 11.

The manager said the Asian Games ushers Guangzhou into the ranks of the world's cities that possess 200 kilometers of underground track or more.

It was reported that Guangzhou metro track will reach a total of 236 kilometers in length as of next month. The eight metro lines will provide passage to 38 match venues of the Asian Games and the majority of stations will be convenient for passengers to access.

About eight years ago, there was only one 18-kilometers-long metro line in Guangzhou city.

Guangzhou then invested more than 70 billion yuan over the past six years to build up an underground system after it successfully hosted the 2004 Asian Games.

The manager said that the metro in Guangzhou will provide various favorable services for passengers during the upcoming Asian Games, including 24-hour operations on the opening and closing day, 30 days of free metro trips, volunteer services and medical emergency service groups on trains.

The metro in Guangzhou transports about 3.8 million passengers every day, which is 30 percent of the whole population in Guangzhou. The metro has become one of the main means of public transportation for citizens.

Metros in Guangzhou also brought great changes for this city. The property price appreciated rapidly where the metro stretched to. Some experts believed there was a close relation between the increasingly soaring property prices and the construction of metros over the past six years.

In addition, metros shortened distance between Guangzhou and other cities in the Pearl River Delta, changing the way people travel and their lifestyle.

By Li Mu, People's Daily Online