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Ancient city opens first subway line
Source: Xinhua |
September 17, 2011, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
XI'AN, one of the oldest cities in China and home to the world-famous Terracotta Army, opened its first subway line yesterday - a major step toward building itself into a metropolis in the country's relatively undeveloped western region.
Xi'an's Subway Line 2, the first to open in northwest China, went into operation at noon yesterday, five years after construction began. The line runs north-south through the ancient city, passing the Ancient City Wall and Bell Tower historical sites.
The line is currently 20 kilometers in length, but will eventually be expanded to 26.3km, according to Zhang Jianzheng, secretary-general of the provincial government.
So that the line blends with the ancient city, trains and stations were designed to incorporate artistic and cultural elements from the Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-220 AD )and Tang (618-907 AD) dynasties, during which Xi'an was China's capital.
As the most expensive infrastructure project in the city's history, the subway line been subject to much public attention since construction started. Nearly 50,000 passengers lined up for free rides during a four-day trial a week ago, according to the city's subway construction office.
The line runs along Xi'an's central axis, an area of the city known for traffic congestion. Commuters have already begun to praise the new line.
Tang Mei, a primary school teacher, said: "One of my colleagues lives near Xiaozhai station. The train gets her to work in just 25 minutes. Before the line was built, she had to spend over an hour commuting, sometimes more."
Six lines with a total length of over 200km are scheduled to be built in Xi'an by 2018 as part of the city's ambitious plan to become one of China's largest urban areas. Plans have been made to integrate Xi'an with the neighboring city of Xianyang to create a single metropolitan area with more than 13 million residents.
Building subway lines without harming Xi'an's numerous historical sites has been a considerable challenge for city planners.
Zheng Yulin, director of the city's cultural heritage bureau, said construction of the new subway system was designed to avoid major historical sites. He said tunnels were dug at a depth of more than 12 meters to avoid disturbing undiscovered relics, which are commonly found at a depth of eight meters.
Designers have also sited the tunnels at least 15m from the Bell Tower, a symbol of the ancient capital at its center, according to Chen Dongshan, head of the subway construction office.
Springs and steel plates absorb and isolate vibrations that might damage historical sites, according to Zhao Rong, director of the provincial cultural heritage bureau.
Xi'an's Subway Line 2, the first to open in northwest China, went into operation at noon yesterday, five years after construction began. The line runs north-south through the ancient city, passing the Ancient City Wall and Bell Tower historical sites.
The line is currently 20 kilometers in length, but will eventually be expanded to 26.3km, according to Zhang Jianzheng, secretary-general of the provincial government.
So that the line blends with the ancient city, trains and stations were designed to incorporate artistic and cultural elements from the Qin (221-206 BC), Han (206 BC-220 AD )and Tang (618-907 AD) dynasties, during which Xi'an was China's capital.
As the most expensive infrastructure project in the city's history, the subway line been subject to much public attention since construction started. Nearly 50,000 passengers lined up for free rides during a four-day trial a week ago, according to the city's subway construction office.
The line runs along Xi'an's central axis, an area of the city known for traffic congestion. Commuters have already begun to praise the new line.
Tang Mei, a primary school teacher, said: "One of my colleagues lives near Xiaozhai station. The train gets her to work in just 25 minutes. Before the line was built, she had to spend over an hour commuting, sometimes more."
Six lines with a total length of over 200km are scheduled to be built in Xi'an by 2018 as part of the city's ambitious plan to become one of China's largest urban areas. Plans have been made to integrate Xi'an with the neighboring city of Xianyang to create a single metropolitan area with more than 13 million residents.
Building subway lines without harming Xi'an's numerous historical sites has been a considerable challenge for city planners.
Zheng Yulin, director of the city's cultural heritage bureau, said construction of the new subway system was designed to avoid major historical sites. He said tunnels were dug at a depth of more than 12 meters to avoid disturbing undiscovered relics, which are commonly found at a depth of eight meters.
Designers have also sited the tunnels at least 15m from the Bell Tower, a symbol of the ancient capital at its center, according to Chen Dongshan, head of the subway construction office.
Springs and steel plates absorb and isolate vibrations that might damage historical sites, according to Zhao Rong, director of the provincial cultural heritage bureau.
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