The southward extension of Wuxi Metro line 1 began trial operations without passengers on June 1. The line will open to passengers around National Day holiday in October.
The extension of the line will add another 5.187 kilometers and three new stations to the route. It starts from Changguangxi Station, which is the terminal station of line 1, and ends in Nanfangquan Station, passing through Wuxi Studios, Pinghu Road, Lihu Avenue, Juqu Road Overpass, Gedai village's relics protection sites and Sunac Cultural Tourism City.
Gedai Wanda Station has been renamed Gedai Bridge Station. The acceptance check for the stations is expected to finish in mid to late June.
The new line will complement line 1, ease south-north traffic congestion, and help to create an overall more convenient transport network.
Over 40 trains operate on metro line 1 daily. The line's operation will not be affected by the test run, with the running duration and transfer times remaining unchanged. However, the line may have its service be temporarily suspended in the case of an operation failure during the extension line's trial period. In such a case, passengers will need to disembark at Changguangxi Station.
Wuxi Metro Group has built its own team to construct and test new metro lines under the guidance of a professional consulting agency. With lines 3 and 4 expected to begin operating within the next two years, Wuxi will have a diversified subway transport network.