China now has 26 cities with light rail transit networks and two of the world’s longest metro systems, but the world’s most populous nation got a late start at mass transit.
Mainland China’s underground rail networks started with just one metro line in Beijing in 1969, and didn’t get a second line until Tianjin opened its own metro in 1984.
Now there are 30 metro systems across Greater China, and an animated map by designer Peter Dovak illustrates how this sprawling transit infrastructure has evolved over the years, including the projected launch of metro systems in ten more cities through 2020.
Hong Kong’s metro system opened in 1979, followed by Tianjin in 1984 and Shanghai in 1993. After a brief suspension of new metro construction from 2002 to 2004, cities across China began laying metro tracks at an explosive pace, further boosted by the awarding of the 2008 Olympics to Beijing and the 2010 World Expo to Shanghai.
As the country looks for ways to keep the population and the economy moving, track length has soared, reaching about 10 kilometres per urban resident, as the below graphic from the Institute for Transportation & Development Policy illustrates.
Shanghai has the world’s longest metro network with more than 588 kilometres of track, followed by Beijing in second place globally with 574 kilometres. Total track length across Greater China, including Hong Kong and Taiwan, surpasses 4,000 kilometres.
Beijingers take to the subway with enthusiasm
Last year, the central government opened the door for a renewed frenzy of infrastructure spending by allowing more cities to build metro projects, cutting the required minimum urban population from 3 million to 1.5 million, according to state media. In May 2016, China’s transport ministry said the country would invest some RMB 4.7 trillion ($720 billion) in transportation infrastructure over the following three years.
Cities around the world, from Shanghai to Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro, are discovering the importance of mass transit in curbing congestion and pollution and enhancing quality of life. Convenient access to rail and bus links can also drive commercial property values, causing some property builders to focus on transit-oriented developments.
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