China's first cross-sea urban railway linking Ningbo, Xiangshan in Zhejiang Province, now operational
A view of the China's first cross-sea urban railway, Ningbo-Xiangshan Urban Railway, also known as "the metro where you could see the sea." (Photo: CCTV)
The Ningbo-Xiangshan Urban Railway which crosses the sea and connects Zhejiang Province's Ningbo city and Xiangshan county, went into operation on Tuesday. The metro line, the first of its kind in China , also known as Ningbo Metro Line 12, has been dubbed by netizens as "the metro where you could see the sea."
The line runs from Xiaoyangjiang Station in Ningbo's Yinzhou District in the north to Damuwan Station in Xiangshan in the south. The line is 61.45 kilometers long, with 10 stations. It uses 4-car Type A carriages with a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometers an hour, and it takes only half an hour to travel from downtown Ningbo to Xiangshan.
On September 14, the line began a six-day free trial ride.
On the first day, the trains were reportedly packed with enthusiastic local passengers eager to experience the "cross-sea metro system." Some compared the views along the route to a real-life version of the sea train from the animated film Spirited Away. The metro line has also brought a surge of visitors to Xiangshan as many visitors were spotted heading straight to local wet markets, noodle shops, and coastal scenic spots.
With the metro line now in service, the Xiangshan Peninsula has ended its history of having no rail transit. With trains speeding across the Xiangshan Harbor Cross-Sea Bridge, the cities of Ningbo and Xiangshan have officially entered a half-hour travel circle.
The new metro opens a fast commute corridor between downtown Ningbo and the Xiangshan Peninsula, helping inject new momentum into coordinated development of the southern part of the Ningbo metropolitan area.