Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission officially approved the third phase of Wuxi urban rail transit construction plan (2021-2026). It is understood that the total investment in the recent construction of urban rail transit in Wuxi City is 48.068 billion yuan, of which the capital accounts for 40%, totaling 19.23 billion yuan. The long-term network plan consists of 8 lines and 1 branch line, with a total length of 297 kilometers.

Overview of Phase III Planning

The third-phase plan approved by the National Development and Reform Commission this time includes three projects including the second phase of Metro Line 4, Metro Line 5, and the first phase of Metro Line 6, with a total length of 59.8 kilometers. With the approval of the third-phase plan and the addition of the Xicheng S1 line and the Xiyi S2 line, Wuxi will enter the situation of simultaneous construction of five lines during the "14th Five-Year Plan" period.

Metro Line 4 Phase II: It starts at the Expo Center Station, the terminus of the existing Line 4 Phase I, and ends at Xishi Road Station. It is about 8.6 kilometers long and is an underground line. The line is laid along Zhenze Road and Xinhua Road, passing through the Development Zone and Xinwu District, which can improve the traffic accessibility of Taihu New City. The second-phase project of Line 4 is consistent with the original line design standards and adopts B-type cars. The project investment is 5.928 billion yuan.

Metro Line 5: It starts at Tangcheng Station and ends at Xinyun Road Station. It is about 28.9 kilometers long, all of which are underground lines. The line covers Lihu New Town, Sports Center, Nanchan Temple, Nanchang Street, Wangzhuang, Meicun and other important passenger flow nodes in the city. It passes through Binhu District, Liangxi District, and Xinwu District. It is the city's east-west backbone metro line. The line uses 6 B-type vehicles in a formation, with a target speed of 80 km/h. The project investment is 22.801 billion yuan. The line is mainly laid along the east-west passenger flow passage in the main urban area of Wuxi. To the east, conditions are reserved for connection with the Suzhou Metro, which is conducive to building a "Yangtze River Delta on the track" and has a positive effect on promoting regional integration and development.

The first phase of Metro Line 6: starts at Gonghu Wetland Park Station and ends at Guangyuan Road Station. It is about 22.3 kilometers long, all of which are underground lines. The line covers Taihu New City, Sanyang Square, Xueqian East Road, passing through the Kai District, Binhu District, and Liangxi District, and is an important backbone line connecting the new and old urban areas of the city. The line uses 6 B-type vehicles in a formation, with a target speed of 80 km/h. The project investment is 19.339 billion yuan.

This line mainly undertakes the function of connecting the core area of the old city and the core area of Taihu New City, and further connects the Zhongqiao, Dongjiang and other areas. The southern section of Line 6 will be interchanged with Xiyi Line S2 and other lines to jointly anchor the future rail transit hub of Taihu New City and enhance the accessibility of Taihu New City’s external traffic; the middle section of Line 6 can be connected to Metro Lines 1 and 2 The line transfers at Sanyang Square Station to further strengthen the core area of the old city and improve the track coverage and traffic convenience of the core area of the old city. Editor/He Yuting