Line 5 is a line on Guangzhou Metro that runs in a wide "∩" shape across Guangzhou, from in Liwan District to in Huangpu District. Line 5's color is red. It began operation on 28 December 2009, from to , and was extended east from to on 28 December 2023.

History

Construction Line 5 received approval from the National Development and Reform Commission in 2005. It was intended to connect the old city centre, the growing Tianhe CBD and new development in both the east and west of the city. It would run from Jiakou in the west to Wenyuan (renamed Wenchong before opening) in the east, via Guangzhou Railway Station and Zhujiang New Town. Of this, would be underground, with the remainer on viaduct. There would be 24 stations (22 underground, 2 elevated).

Major works started on the line's construction on 26 June 2006, with the simulatanous launch of 3 tunnel boring machines. The line was expected to be completed by the end of 2008, however it was noted there were challenging geological conditions expected in several sections. Indeed, in January 2008, a sinkhole opened near the site of Zhongshanba station during construction of a cross-passage.

By 20 September 2009, train testing was well underway, with trains being tested at speeds of up to 98km/h along the entire line, with opening expected by the end of the year. The line was opened on 28 December 2009, with an opening ceremony at Zhujiang New Town station.

Extension As part of the Guangzhou Urban Rail Transit Near-term Plan (2016-2022), an eastern extension of Line 5 from Wenchong to Huangpu Passenger Port (renamed New Port before opening) was proposed. The project passed expert review in November 2016 and was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in January 2018.

Work started on the extension on 19 November 2018. The rail corridor and new stabling yard at Shuanggang were handed over from the construction contractors to Guangzhou Metro for final testing in August 2023. Likewise the stations were handed over in November the same year.

The extension was opened on 28 December 2023, together with Phase 2 of Line 7.

Summary SegmentCommencementLengthStation(s)Name Jiaokou — Wenchong 28 December 2009 24 (initial phase) Wenchong — Huangpu New Port 28 December 2023 6 Eastern extension

Stations StationNo. Station name ConnectionsFuture Connections Distance Location 0.000.00Liwan 1.751.75 1.543.29 1.534.82 0.685.50 GZQ 1.587.08Yuexiu2.409.48 : 1.1010.58 1.0311.611.0912.70 1.0513.75 (OSI)1.0614.81 0.7615.57Tianhe1.1516.721.4418.16 1.7919.95 1.5521.50 1.3722.871.3724.241.5525.79 1.7927.58Huangpu1.5529.13 1.3330.461.1931.65 GBRT GBRT

Rolling stock Like line 4, Line 5 was designed to use smaller type L trains with linear induction motor technology. It was originally planned to have a fleet of 45 four-car trains initially, with trains gradually built up to six cars as patronage grew, up to 67 trains in the long-term. However, it was later decided to open with six-car trains and thus the order was changed to thirty six-car trains. The initial trains were designated class L2 and manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, in collaboration with Itochu and CSR Sifang.

With patronage growing, more trains (designated class L4) were ordered in 2010. The first twenty (subclass L4-I) were produced by CSR Sifang in collaboration with Itochu and were very similar to the L2 trains, with the only major change being the use of fully domestically designed bogies. The remaining 12 (subclass L4-II) had even more domestic content, with the full traction package being locally made.

In 2020, Guangzhou Metro released a tender for 14 additional trains to supplement the fleet in preparation for the east extension. These trains entered service with the eastern extension of the line and feature LCD passenger information displays.

TypeTime of manufacturingClassSetsAssemblyNotesType L2008–2010L230Mcp+M+Mp+M+M+McpManufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang and ItochuType L2011–2013L4-I & L4-II32Mcp+M+Mp+M+M+McpManufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang and ItochuType L2021–2022L714Mcp+M+Mp+M+M+McpManufactured by CRRC Guangdong.

Operations

Timetable The full trip from Jiaokou to Huangpu Passenger Port is scheduled to take 70 minutes each way. Services run as frequently as every 2 minutes during peak hours, the highest frequency of any line on the Guangzhou Metro network. Short workings from Jiaokou to Wenchong operate throughout the day. In addition, during the morning peak, short workings run between Jiaokou and Sanxi. Ridership On 31 December 2009, Line 5 set a record of 567,000 daily passengers, surpassing the ten year ridership projections in the span of just 4 days after its opening. By May 2017, Line 5 carried an average of 1.05 million passengers per day and was extremely congested throughout the day, operating at over 100% capacity during rush hours. The opening of Phase I of Line 13 further increased traffic demand on the west end of Line 5 and pushing congestion to over 130% capacity, prompting the Guangzhou Metro to limit passenger traffic at a number of stations on Line 5. In 2018, the busiest section of Line 5 reaches over 50,000 pphpd of traffic volume during peak periods. By 2019, the line was used by 1.18 million passengers each day.

Future The current eastern terminus at Huangpu New Port is only one river crossing away from the neighbouring city of Dongguan and space has been reserved for a further extension into Dongguan.

References