Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway

Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway
Overview
Locale	Wuhan and surrounding area
Transit type	Higher-speed rail
Operation
Began operation	2013
Operator(s)	China Railway Wuhan Group
Technical
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	AC 25 kV overhead lines
System map

Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway
Traditional Chinese	武漢城市圈城際軌道交通
Simplified Chinese	武汉城市圈城际轨道交通
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Wǔhàn Chéngshì Quān Chéngjì Guǐdào Jiāotōng

Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway or Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway system is a network of higher-speed commuter railways in and around Wuhan, the capital of the Chinese province Hubei. The first line of the system opened at the end of 2013, two more in mid-2014, one in 2016.

System composition

The network will include the following lines:

• The Wuhan–Xianning intercity railway, opened on December 28, 2013.^[1] The system's first line connects Wuhan's Wuchang Railway Station with the city's southern suburbs and the city of Xianning.^[2] Initially, the service is very limited (a few trains a day), but eventually it will be brought to a commuter frequency.
• The Wuhan–Huangshi intercity railway and Wuhan–Huanggang intercity railway share tracks within Wuhan's eastern suburbs and then diverge. The Huangshi line goes toward Ezhou, Huangshi, and Daye, while the Huanggang line crosses the Yangtze River to Huanggang. The construction of the lines was largely completed by the end of December 2013.^[3][4][5] After a period of testing, the two lines opened on June 18, 2014.^[6] The Wuhan–Huangshi line also serves as the first section of the future Wuhan–Jiujiang Passenger Railway, opened in 2017.
• The Wuhan–Xiaogan intercity railway serves the city's northern suburbs, the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport, and the city of Xiaogan. Early on, it was expected to open in 2015.^[5] However, the completion date has been moved back. It is opened on December 1, 2016.^[7]

Preliminary plans exist for the construction of more lines (to Tianmen and Qianjiang) as well.

Ridership

In a report released during the Spring Festival travel season of 2015, the total ridership of the 3 lines of the Wuhan Metropolitan Area intercity railway was estimated at 25,000 a day; that was described as twice the daily amount outside of the peak travel season.^[8]

Notes

1. 武汉城市圈首条城际铁路客运专线武咸铁路开通, 2013-12-28
2. See the detailed system map at http://bbs.cnhubei.com/thread-1538025-1-1.html
3. 武(汉)黄(石)城际铁路或于明年元月中旬通车 ([Test] trains will start running on the Wu[han]-Huang[shi] intercity railway in mid-January of the next year), 2013-12-18
4. 武冈城际铁路黄冈站站房封顶, 2013-12-13
5. 武汉至咸宁城际铁路本月28日将正式开通运营 (The Wuhan–Xianning intercity railway will officially open on the 28th of this month), 人民网, 2013-12-24
6. (Chinese) 图文：武石武冈城际铁路昨日通车 楚天都市报讯 2014-06-19
7. 武汉城市圈第4条城际铁路正式开通 空铁交通实现无缝对接
8. 武咸、武石、武冈3条城际铁路日均发送2.5万人次 (Wuhan-Xianning, Wuhan-Huangshi, Wuhan-Huanggang intercity lines carry 25,000 passengers daily), 2015-02-26