59.9-km Metro Loop Line in Wuhan, China Fully Opens to Traffic

en.Wedoany.com Reported - At 9:29 on October 29, Phase II of Wuhan Metro Line 12 in China was officially opened to traffic and connected with the previously operational Phase I to form a closed metro loop line with a total length of 59.9 kilometers. Confirmed by the China Association of Metros, the line is currently the longest metro loop line in China, with 37 underground stations. A full loop takes about 96 minutes. The line crosses the Yangtze River, the Han River and other waters, running through seven central urban districts of the three towns of Wuhan.

The Phase II project opened this time is 24.64 kilometers long with 14 stations; the Phase I project is 35.32 kilometers long with 23 stations and was put into operation on May 1, 2026. The entire line has 13 transfer stations, allowing transfers with 11 operational metro lines, and reserves conditions for connection with other planned lines. It links two major railway transport hubs, Hankou Railway Station and Wuchang Railway Station.

During construction, Metro Line 12 crossed beneath the Yangtze River twice and beneath the Han River once, involving high water pressure, water-rich fine silty sand and composite strata of uneven hardness. The river-crossing tunnel from Danshuichi Station to Kepu Park Station, built by China Railway 14th Bureau Group, is about 4 kilometers long in total, with its lowest point 71.4 meters below the Yangtze River. Section 7 of the Jiangbei segment, undertaken by China Railway 11th Bureau Group, crosses the water-rich fine silty sand strata of the first terrace of the Yangtze River, and 8 shield tunneling machines were organized for excavation during construction.

The 3.12-kilometer connecting line of Line 12, opened simultaneously with Phase II of the loop line, has two underground stations, Zhongyi Road Station and Xinchun Station, and operates through with the Yangluo Line. Zhongyi Road Station adopts a dual-island same-platform transfer layout, connecting Line 12 with the Yangluo Line and also linking with Metro Line 8. With the two projects put into operation, Wuhan's urban rail transit network has reached a total operating mileage of 581 kilometers and a total of 351 operating stations.