Guangzhou Plans to Build Two More SubwaysGuangzhou, one of China's major southern gates to the outside world, plans to build two more subways with the combined length totaling 53 kilometers.According to Lu Guanglin, general manager of Guangzhou Subway Corporation, the fourth subway will extend from the science town to Bazhou and will be 17.7 kilometers long. The fifth subway will start from the new Guangzhou Baiyun Airport and end at the Guangzhou East Railway Station, with a length of 35.3 kilometers. Guangzhou will have a more efficient transportation network with less noise and emission pollution if the city's five subways are in operation, said Lu. The first subway, 18.48 kilometers long and built mainly with overseas loans, has been put into operation since June 1999. The income from the operation of the first subway in 2000 reached 192 million yuan (about 23.1 million U.S. dollars). Chinese workers have been tensely working on 33 civil engineering projects for the second subway and the major structure of the five stops have been finished thus far and bidding for required electro-mechanical equipment has also been closed. The second 23.265-kilometers-long subway extends from Jiangxia to Bazhou. Since its construction began in July 1998, a total of 2. 7 billion yuan (about 325 million US dollars) has been spent, about one-quarter of the entire subway's total investment. The detailed plan to construct a third subway, with a length of 32 kilometers and extending from Guangzhou East Railway Station to Panyu District of Guangzhou, has passed the evaluation of China International Consulting Company. It has been submitted to the State Development Planning Commission for further deliberation, according to Lu. |
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