Chongqing's First Fully Automated Urban Rail Express Line 15 Opens
en.Wedoany.com Reported - On November 12, the Jinkou to Liangjiang Movie City section of Chongqing Rail Transit Line 15 officially began initial operations, with the first train departing from Lixue Road Station. The section is approximately 48 kilometers long and has 18 stations. It is Chongqing's first urban rail express line to adopt a GoA4-grade fully automated operation system, with a designed maximum operating speed of 140 km/h. With the opening of this line, Chongqing's rail transit operating mileage has exceeded 600 kilometers.
The section put into operation this time is the first-built interval from the western section to the eastern section of Line 15. The line starts at Jinkou Station in Shapingba District and runs eastward through Lixue Road, Jinshan Temple, Happy Valley, Chongguang Interchange, Chongguang, Jinfu Road, Jintong Road, Guotang Road, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Baosheng Lake, Shuanglong Lake, Jiangbei Airport T3 Terminal, Tianbao, Longgang Avenue, Fusheng and Fuhui Avenue stations, finally arriving at Liangjiang Movie City Station. The entire section has 7 transfer stations, which can connect with Chongqing Rail Transit Line 3, Line 4, Line 5, Line 6, Line 9, Line 10 and the Guobo Line.
Line 15 uses 6-car urban rail express trains, with a designed maximum operating speed of 140 km/h, a body width of 3.3 meters, and a maximum passenger capacity of 2,428 people per train. Compared with conventional metro lines, this line mainly serves cross-regional, medium- and long-distance travel needs in the central urban area. Passengers traveling from Chongguang Interchange Station to Liangjiang Movie City Station cover nearly 40 kilometers in about 40 minutes; transferring from Fusheng Station to Jiangbei Airport T3 Terminal Station takes about 13 minutes.
Line 15 adopts a GoA4-grade fully automated operation system, and trains do not require drivers to perform conventional driving operations. Five major professional systems—vehicles, communications, signaling, integrated supervision and platform screen doors—operate collaboratively around more than 170 operational scenarios, covering train departure from the depot, automatic running, platform stopping, equipment monitoring and return to the depot. The line is supported by an urban rail express line control center, which coordinates train operations and equipment status through centralized monitoring and operational data management.
The section opened this time is also supported by the Tongluoshan Parking Lot, Jiuqu River Main Substation, Tongluoshan Main Substation and the urban rail express line control center, with an initial allocation of 17 electric passenger trains. These facilities jointly undertake train parking, power supply, inspection and maintenance, and operational dispatch tasks, providing fundamental support for the fully automated operation system. This section passed the project completion acceptance in October 2026, and had previously completed trial operation without passengers and operational preparations.
In the initial stage of operation, the first train departs at 7:30 and the last train departs at 20:30, with a minimum headway of 9 minutes. Stations along the entire line are equipped with intelligent customer service centers, as well as accessible elevators, continuous tactile paving and third restrooms. Jiangbei Airport T3 Terminal Station, in light of surrounding construction conditions, adopts a vertical elevator group for its entrances and exits, achieving connection between the platform level and the ground level.
Chongqing Rail Transit Line 15 has a total length of approximately 72 kilometers, starting from Zengjia Station in the west and ending at Liangjiang Movie City Station in the east, with a total of 25 stations. The Jinkou to Liangjiang Movie City section opened this time is the first-phase operating section, and the remaining sections are still under construction. Once the entire line is completed, it will further improve the east-west rail transit connections in Chongqing's central urban area.
