The Nanjinger predicted an opening on 1 October. We were wrong. But not by much. For the extension to Nanjing Metro Line S8 north of the Yangtze River in fact began carrying fare-paying passengers just a few hours earlier.
Many residents of Nanjing living near the northern end of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge have waited over a decade for 30 September, 2022. All those years ago, that’s when the rumours started flying that a metro line would one day be theirs and property prices started peaking.
Their dreams came true that Friday morning at 11:00 as the city also readied itself for National Day.
The Line 8 extension, though, is somewhat paltry, at just over 2 kilometres long and with only two additional stations. But they are two that are already bringing an enormous amount of convenience to many citizens of Jiangbei.
First up is the Line’s new terminus, at Yangtze River Bridge North (长江大桥北), not far from the iconic Bridge itself and just across the road from The Mix C shopping centre. And just another 1-kilometre north of there is also now Mofangchang Lu ( 毛纺厂路), which then connects with the Line’s previous terminus at Taishan Xincun (泰山新村).
But Line S8 remains far from complete. It is next set to be extended further southward to what will be Pukou Gongyuan Station, and ultimately (another decade later) northward, all the way to Tianchang City in Anhui Province. Indeed, ever since day 1, the Line has also been known in Chinese as the Nanjing-Tianchang Line (宁天线). That may sound like a long way, but in fact, Line S8 will only need be lengthened by approximately 25 kilometr
Speaking of links with other cities, Nanjing last opened a metro line in December of 2021; Line S6 that became our city’s first intercity metro line, connecting Nanjing with Jurong in neighbouring Zhenjiang City.
Elsewhere on our metro network, media and other select folkies have meanwhile been getting a sneak peak at Line 7 that is also due to open any time soon, as Nanjing Metro reported on their official WeChat account. And the reason for the sneak peek? Line 7 shall be Nanjing’s first fully automated service, meaning passengers can enjoy a “driver’s view” from both the front and rear of the train.
On top of that, it is also hoped we shall see out the year with another opening, that of the northern extension to Line 1. By good fortune, we may see in 2023 with Nanjing having a metro network with in excess of 200 stations, some 203 in fact.
Interested readers may download The Nanjinger’s updated version of our city’s metro map, including first and last train times for every station, via the “City Guide” menu above.
