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China Subways
China's first subways opened to traffic in Beijing in 1970, and
Tianjin in 1980, respectively, and subway systems were planned for
construction in Harbin, Shanghai, and Guangzhou beginning in the
1980s. In its first phase, the Beijing subway system had 23.6
kilometers of track and 17 stations. In 1984 the second phase of
construction added 16.1 kilometers of track and 12 stations, and in
1987 additional track and another station were added to close the
loop on a now circular system. In 1987 there were plans to upgrade
the signaling system and railcar equipment on seventeen kilometers
of the first segment built. The subway carried more than 100
million passengers in 1985, or about 280,000 on an average day and
450,000 on a peak day. In 1987 this accounted for only 4 percent of
Beijing's 9 million commuters. The Beijing subway authorities
estimated that passenger traffic would increase 20 percent yearly.
To accommodate the increase in riders, Beijing planned to construct
an extension of a seven-kilometer subway line under Chang'an
Boulevard, from Fuxing Gate in the east to Jianguo Gate in the
west. The Tianjin subway opened a five-kilometer line in 1980. The
Shanghai subway was planned to have 14.4 kilometers of track in its
first phase.
Data as of July 1987
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