First subway line under Yellow River begins trial run

Workers perform a check of the line.

Lanzhou's Subway Line 1, China’s first subway line to run under the Lanzhou section of the Yellow River in Gansu province, began running on a trial basis on May 23.

Lanzhou has become the second northwestern Chinese city and the seventh city in western China to have access to rail transit. Construction on Subway Line 1 began in 2014, and track-laying started in April 2016.

A train runs on the line on May 23, 2017.

The line is 40 meters underground. It has a total track length of 55.5 kilometers, and 16.7 kilometers have already been laid.

“We have managed to avoid potential security risks related to the specific conditions of the Yellow River. The success of the line’s trial run across the river signifies that Lanzhou's rail transit construction has entered a new phase,” said Sun Hongbin, deputy general manager of Lanzhou Rail Transit, the company responsible for the subway's construction.