In the global landscape of urban rail transit, China’s metro system stands out as a late bloomer that has risen spectacularly. The world’s first underground railway emerged in London, United Kingdom, in 1863, followed by major cities in Europe and America such as Budapest, Paris, and New York, which successively built metro lines. In Asia, Tokyo, Japan, led the way as a pioneer. By contrast, the construction of China’s metro began in the 1960s, starting considerably later. Nevertheless, China’s total metro operating mileage has now surged to the top spot globally, far surpassing that of the United States and Japan, and serving as a symbol of urbanisation and an infrastructure miracle. China’s metro not only addresses the transport pressures arising from dense populations in large cities but also leads the way in technological innovations in areas such as driverless operations, where many developed countries might feel somewhat outclassed in comparison.
The origins of China’s metro can be traced back to mid-20th-century Beijing, the capital, by which time more than a century had passed since the birth of the world’s first underground line. In the 1950s, the Chinese government drew on the Soviet model for research, and then launched the first phase of the Beijing metro project in 1965. Compared to other countries, the early development of China’s metro was heavily shaped by geopolitical influences rather than being driven purely by commercial interests and innovative activities. This ‘first metro line in China’ was initially designed for dual military and civilian purposes, enduring the upheavals of the Cultural Revolution before finally being completed in 1969, and officially opening for passenger service at the start of the ‘Fourth Five-Year Plan’ period in 1971.
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