The city of Guanghzou (formerly known as Canton) is the third largest in China, and, in December 1994, became the second, after Shanghai, to order a new light-rail system. The city of has 7 million inhabitants and is situated in the south of the country near Hong Kong. Construction of a subway network was approved in 1989 and construction started in 1993.

Five years later, the city, in the south of one of the world's most populous countries, could boast a two-line metro system, which uses some of the latest light-rail technology, and was a model for a completely integrated project.

THE PROJECT

The first phase of the 18.5km (11.5 mile) Line 1 opened in summer 1997, comprising the first five of the eventual 16 stations to be built on this line, along with the depot and workshops.

The total project cost is around £1 billion (12,700 million yuan), which includes the necessary civil works, which have been co-ordinated by the Guanghzou Metro Corporation. It has employed largely Chinese contractors, and design work was the responsibility of the design institutes of the Chinese Ministry of Railways, under the supervision of the Second Railway Survey & Design Institute in Chengdu.

ROLLING STOCK

For operation on Line 1, 21 trains, each comprising six vehicles, were ordered. These have been supplied by Siemens-AEG of Berlin, Germany, along with the train equipment, high and medium voltage traction power supply and other ancillary control systems, including the network's own telecommunications system. The vehicles were built in Hennigsdorf near Berlin, and the first was delivered early in 1997.

On Line 2 trains have been built by a joint venture of Bombardier and Chinese firm Changchun Car Company. The first of the 26 Bombardier Movia trains were built in Germany with later trains built in China. No orders have not yet been placed for Line 3 rolling stock.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Line 1 was inaugurated on 28 June 1999 and was built as a turnkey project by a consortium led by Siemens. It has a total length of 18.5 km with 16 stations and runs from the Guanghzou Iron and Steel Works in the south-western suburb of Fangcun, crosses the Pearl River, and traverses the busy commercial district along Zhongshan Road to the East Railway Station, which is the terminus for the main line to Hong Kong. All but 2km of this line have been built underground, so that road traffic already very heavy - is affected as little as possible.

Line 2 is 23.21km long with 20 stations, 17 of which are underground. Construction started in 1999 and is due to open in April 2003, a year ahead of schedule. The line extends from south to north,starting from Pazhou in Haizhu District,via Zhongshan University and Guangzhou Arts college, across Zhujiang River to an interchange with the Metro Line 1 at GongyuanQian,to Zhongshan Memorial Hall,Fair Building,guangzhou Railway station,shanyuanli,and Baiyun Interational Airport to Jiangxia.

SIGNALLING/COMMUNICATIONS

The 16 stations on Line 1 are supported by six interlocking areas, which ensure the safety of the network and form the backbone of the signalling infrastructure, which is provided by a SIG system. The system has been installed by German-based manufacturer Siemens, and the interlockings use the latest 16-bit technology.

Operators in the system's control centre input information into workstations which then control, and adjust where necessary, the required headway between trains. An automatic train protection (ATP) system has also been installed, based on the same technology as the SIG system, to ensure complete compatibility. The acceleration and deceleration of each train is controlled by an automatic train operation (ATO) system, which determines the rate at which a train should be accelerated or decelerated, taking into account the line speed limit and the gradient of the stretch of line involved.

SIG has also installed the passenger information system used at the stations across the network. This also uses the latest technology, and includes displays showing the time to the next train, its destination, and calling points en route. The control centre houses systems which devise and implement the running timetable and train and staff rosters, and automatically ensure that all trains follow the correct route. The system is also the first in China to use an automated fare collection system. The system was developed and manufactured by Cubic Transportation Systems (CTS), based in San Diego, California.

CTS won the contract to install the first system of its type under a contract worth $19.5 million (£11.8 million), which has involved the installation of 400 pieces of equipment. The system includes a central computer, station computers, automatic ticket machines, fare gates, booking office machines, high-speed encoders and ticket checkers. The system uses magnetically encoded plastic tickets.

THE FUTURE

In common with other, similar major projects, finance is the main obstacle to future development. Given the turmoil experienced by many of the economies of the Far East as the 20th century drew to a close, any further development was likely to involve substantial support from banks and financial institutions outside the region. Despite the enormous demand for light-rail investment, given the obvious benefits in reducing traffic congestion and pollution, the project faces immense competition from other infrastructure development plans.

Despite this work commenced on the construction of Line 3 in January 2002. It will run from Tianhe Transport Center in north Tianhe District to Panyu Square in Shi Qiao, south Panyu District. Following the award of the initial four contracts, construction has commenced at four locations, including two stations and two sections of the line. All contracts will be awarded by the end of 2003. Guangzhou Metro Line 3 will cover a distance of 34.7km with 17 stations along its route. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2007.

Further expansion is proposed with the 18km Line 4 from Science Town to Pazhou and Line 5, running for 35km from the new Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to East Railway Station in Guangzhou.