Between Chengdu South Railway Station and Western China International Expo City Station, the line runs adjacent to Line 1 essentially forming a four track subway. Line 18 runs express between the two stations, skipping a number of stops that Line 1 makes. The four track alignment with Line 1 will be extended to North Railway Station once Phase 3 of the line is completed.
Description
Phase 1 & 2
Phase 1 and 2 of the line, which is currently in operation, start at Chengdu South Railway Station and end at Chengdu Tianfu International Airport. The total length is 69.39 km (43.12 mi).[2]
The line officially started construction on August 16, 2016.[4] The section from South Railway Station to Sancha started operation on 27 September 2020.[1] The line will use 8-car Type A rolling stock. The rolling stock have features designed for medium distance travel, such as a 140 km/h maximum speed and wide station spacing.[5]
The line will also feature distinct express and local services using passing tracks at select stations with an express service stopping only at 4 intermediate stations,[6] and planned to complete a trip between Chengdu South Railway Station to Chengdu Tianfu International Airport in 35 minutes. The local service will stop at all stations on Line 18 and will complete the trip in 40 to 50 minutes.[7]
Phase 3
On December 9, 2019, the Department of Ecology and Environment of Sichuan Province approved new extensions for Line 18. Line 18 Phase 3 includes North Extension, Linjiang Section, and South Extension. It is 16.715 kilometers long, all underground. In total, 6 underground stations (4 transfer stations), 1 reserved station, and 1 new depot will be built.[8]
North Section
Line 18 is planned to extend north to North Railway Station on Line 1 serving downtown Chengdu and providing full parallel express service along the core portion of Line 1. The length of the extension is 10.985 kilometers with 4 new stations.[9]
South Section
Line 18 is also planned to extend south beyond Tianfu International Airport Terminals 1 & 2 Station to Guanyan,[10] adding 5.75 kilometers and 2 new underground stations and Linjiang Depot.[8] On June 18, 2020, Government of Chengdu changed the name of Linjiang Station to Guanyan Station.[10]
Phase 4
Jianyang Housing and Urban Planning Bureau officially released the plan for Line 18 Phase 4 to be extended to Jianyang South Railway Station.[11]
Additionally, Line 18 will connect with the proposed Line S3 (Ziyang line) at Futian Station.[12][11][13]Line S3 (Ziyang line) is currently undergoing geological investigation in central Ziyang.
History
On July 11, 2016, the NDRC approved the third phase of expansion for the Chengdu Metro, which includes Line 18.[14]
On August 16, 2016, Line 18 started construction.[15]
On February 28, 2017, first tunnel machine started tunneling.[16]
On June 27, 2017, Sichuan Development and Reform Commission approved phase 2.[17]
On August 18, 2017, the first station: Xinglong Station finished roofing and construction.[18]
On October 24, 2018, Futian - T3/T4 section finished tunnel construction.
On January 29, 2019, Phase 1 and Phase 2 finished viaduct construction.[19]
On May 31, 2019, the first tunnel section was completed.[19]
On June 2, 2019, all tunnels in Phase 1 and Phase 2 are connected.
On June 13, 2019, Line 18's first train started testing in Chengdu.
On June 1, 2020, systems testing and debugging began.[19]
On June 2, 2020, Line 18, the biggest PPP[clarification needed] project in China, started its 3-month trial operation in preparation for opening.[3]
On August 6, 2020, Line 18 completed fire-prevention assessment.[20]
On September 27, 2020, the first and second section (from South Railway Station to Sancha) of Line 18 was opened.
In December 2022, Chengdu Metro's deepest, and also first 4-line transfer station: Luomashi, finished digging. Line 18 Phase 1's platform is 45.5M deep, with North Railway Station ~ Luomashi 's deepest tunnel at 48.8M, equivalent to 16-floors underground. Luomashi has Line 1, Line 4, Line 10, and Line 18.[21]
On 26 March 2023, Line 18 has increased express service from 6 to 16 trains, to match the increasing needs for Chengdu Tianfu International Airport and daily commuters. Line 18 also increased 58 trains daily (36 trains for Airport Express Service).[22][23]
On 1 June 2023, express service has restructured to be through train services, no longer stop at Incubation Park, Haichang Road and Sancha.[24]
On 13 August 2023, Futian station opened service.[25]
On 28 November 2023, with start of line 19 phase 2 operation and interchange-only open of Tianfu Station, two cross-line through services have introduced, one stop at each stations of line 19 and stations of line 18 east of Tianfu Station, another "directly through" service, 6 times to-and-fro per a day, from Jinxing to Terminal 1 & 2 of Tianfu International Airport.[26]
