On December 16, the length of Chengdu's in-service urban rail transit lines was extended once again.

Two east-west lines—Phase I of Line 13 and Phase I of Line 30—have officially commenced operation. With this addition, the number of operational Chengdu Metro lines has reached 18, and the total mileage has surpassed 750 kilometers.

When we look back to 2010, the commencement of Phase I of Chengdu Metro Line 1 marked the beginning of the city's underground transportation pulse. Over the past decade-plus, Chengdu's rail transit network has evolved through multiple developmental stages: starting from a single metro line, expanding into a cross-shaped backbone, progressing to a "loop + radial" structure, and further advancing into a "loop + radial + tangential" network configuration.

Today, a network of 18 lines spanning over 750 kilometers constitutes an increasingly sophisticated underground transportation ecosystem. Urban rail transit has become the primary mode of transportation for city residents.

When we look beyond the tracks, the change from 0 to 750 kilometers is more than just travel.

Rail transit thrives with the city, and the city prospers through rail transit.

With the expansion of its network, rail transit not only extends the city's spatial framework but also drives a profound reshaping of industrial layout and value distribution. It promotes a higher level of integrated symbiosis among people, the city, and industries, enabling an upgrade in the capacity from a "city with rail transit" to a "rail transit-based city".

Why does rail transit solve more than just people's mobility problems?

One month ago, Chengdu Rail Transit Group's "Practice in Creating Green Travel Scenarios" was included in the collection of typical cases of "Beautiful China • Distinguished Green Users for Spaces" for 2025 and was presented at the 30th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in Belém, Brazil.

Behind the "Chengdu Model" lies this set of travel data: in 2025, the Chengdu Metro system averaged 6.15 million passenger trips per day. According to the Research Report on Green Travel Development in Typical Cities (2024) jointly released by institutions including the China Academy of Transportation Sciences of the Ministry of Transport, Chengdu's green travel rate has reached 77.6 percent, ranking first among China's megacities.

In the traditional understanding, the core function of transportation is to address people's mobility needs.

From the opening of Chengdu Metro Line 1 in 2010 to the present, as the network has continuously expanded and densified, an increasing number of residents have changed their mode of transportation. "With its advantages of speed, reliability, and high capacity, rail transit has become an irreplaceable mode of transportation," said Li Xiaojiang, a National Engineering Survey and Design Master and former President of the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design.

A concept is being redefined—transportation, especially rail transit, no longer remains at the level of merely "solving mobility issues"; it is also taking on the mission of "reshaping people's lifestyles."

Rail transit not only precisely quantifies travel time within cities or urban clusters but also, with metro stations serving as hubs, transforms people's social patterns and living radius. Under this model, an increasing number of people are shifting from "renting near their workplace" to "settling along transit lines", and from "consuming in commercial districts" to "socializing based on stations".

A seemingly ordinary community event serves as a vivid microcosm of how the metro is changing people's lives. On November 27, a unique sporting event—the "National Sport into the Community" activity for the ITTF Mixed Team World Cup Chengdu 2025—was held at the "Next Door · Future Community" TOD project in the Shuangfengqiao, Wuhou District, Chengdu. Chinese table tennis athletes such as Wang Manyu and Lin Shidong visited the community, engaging in close interaction with residents.

TOD (Transit-Oriented Development) refers to a development model that focuses on maximizing the use of public transportation. Its purpose is to create high-quality, convenient "life circles" around transit stations, catering to the full lifecycle needs of residents.

By leveraging its world-class rail transit network, Chengdu has implemented comprehensive TOD planning and development strategies across all 695 stations citywide. A batch of TOD demonstration projects has been fully implemented, marking the comprehensive launch of Chengdu's TOD-driven urban development model. Through intensive development to reshape neighborhoods, station-city integration to optimize urban space, and green-blue corridors to enhance urban ecology, Chengdu organically integrates the TOD model into "three essential spheres"—residential life, commercial work, and leisure activity, providing a one-stop solution to meet the people's aspirations for a happy and better life.

In just five years, 24 TOD projects have been successively unveiled, with cumulative development scale exceeding 11 million square meters. Chengdu Rail Transit City Group, a subsidiary of Chengdu Rail Transit Group, has been honored with the titles "2025 China's Top 100 Real Estate Enterprises" and "2025 China's Top 10 Housing Rental Brands".

The diverse scenarios on the rail transit network continue to expand. Just last year, Chengdu Rail Transit attracted an investment of 30 million US dollars from the MTR Corporation of Hong Kong to establish a joint-venture company. They created the industry's first MTR station commercial platform with a national reach, promoting the organic renewal of commuting scenarios. The joint venture has now expanded beyond Chengdu and established partnerships with cities such as Zhengzhou, Xi'an, and Guangzhou.

Inside metro stations, underground commercial blocks covering an area of nearly 12,000 square meters, rail transit retail spaces, and modular aesthetic venues have successively opened. Outside metro stations, vibrant, integrated commercial hubs are rapidly taking shape. At Luxiao TOD, the main structure of the first CR MixC World in southwest China has been topped out. At Machangba TOD, Chengdu's first 4.0-version Longfor Paradise Walk has broken ground. At Shuangfengqiao TOD, the city's third Sam's Club has generated citywide buzz.

Focusing on the positioning where urban functions overlap with living spaces and individual lives, these stations, through high-quality development such as landmark commercial districts for trendy shopping and community neighborhood living, vividly present a new urban lifestyle characterized by "walkability, functional diversity, and green efficiency".

Why does rail transit expand more than just the city's geographical footprint?

As the metro network evolves into a "loop + radial + tangential" structure, Chengdu, a megacity with a population exceeding 21 million, is increasingly showing a trend of clustering toward peripheral clusters such as the Tianfu New Area and the Eastern New Area.

However, people have also observed that rail transit not only expands Chengdu's geographical footprint but also drives regional development and reshapes urban morphology.

Taking Metro Line 18 eastward from Chengdunan Railway Station and passing through the Longquan Mountain Tunnel, passengers can reach the Eastern New Area in about half an hour. For this region, the opening of this line holds milestone significance—it marks the first rail transit link directly connecting Chengdu's central urban area with the Eastern New Area. The change in the transportation framework directly accelerates regional development. More businesses are locating along the rail transit lines, tourists are following the routes, and a modern new area showcasing the characteristics of a park city is rapidly rising on the eastern flank of Chengdu. This is not only the growth of a new district but also advances the maturation of Chengdu's "polycentric, cluster-based" urban structure.

From a single city to an urban cluster, with the opening of the Ziyang Line (Chengdu Metro Line S3) and the advancement of the Chengdu-Deyang Line (Chengdu Intercity Railway Line S11) and Chengdu-Meishan Line (Chengdu Intercity Railway Line S5), rail transit is propelling cities around Chengdu onto a broader development track.

Since its opening one year ago, the Ziyang Line has seen the gradual formation of industrial clusters in aerospace, intelligent manufacturing, and pharmaceuticals and health along its east-west corridor. High-quality enterprises such as Gausium Robotics, Jiutian Zhongchuang Automation Equipment Co., Ltd., and Align Technology have accelerated their strategic positioning in the area. Not long ago, Chengdu, Deyang, Meishan, and Ziyang jointly released the Chengdu Metropolitan Area Investment Guide for the first time. It systematically outlines the industrial strengths, factor resources, and policy systems of the four cities, aiming to promote industrial alignment and resource sharing across all dimensions from urban functions to industrial momentum, thereby driving high-quality coordinated development within the Chengdu metropolitan area.

"This marks a new phase of institutionalized and substantive development for the rail-based metropolitan area," remarked a professional. Rail transit is becoming the bond for regional coordination within the Chengdu metropolitan area, accelerating the transformation of the "rail-based metropolitan area" from blueprint to reality.

Let every space be a place to linger, every place of lingering be a setting for interaction, and every site of interaction generate tangible value. When we observe along the stations, rail transit reshapes urban morphology not only through "linear connections" but also by "activating nodes".

Where Line 1 meets Line 6 in the north, the Rongbei Business District is undergoing a metamorphosis: once a wholesale procurement hub, it has now become a "fashion magnet" attracting a daily flow of approximately 3.4 million residents and visitors. Behind this transformation lies a true reflection of Renmin North Road Station's role in facilitating urban area renewal. "The accessibility provided by the metro and its immense capacity for passenger flow enable a high concentration of urban mobility. As a result, commercial projects and retail resources converge around metro stations, thereby transforming the existing urban form," said He Chuan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Chair Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University.

Not only here.

Following the direction of the rail lines, we witness the bustling crowds at Eastern Suburb Memory, the poetic flow at Du Fu Thatched Cottage, the cheering waves at Phoenix Hill Sports Park, and the cultural exhibitions and anime conventions at Western China International Expo City. Individual stations and entire lines are not only playing crucial roles in the integrated development of culture, commerce, tourism, and sports but are also transforming Chengdu's urban form and layout. Together, they are reshaping the rhythm and fabric of city life.

Why does rail transit drive more than just growth in industrial numbers?

When a seed grows into a towering tree, we must not only count its rings but also understand the soil in which it took root and the ecosystem in which it thrives.

The same holds true for rail transit in a city. It brings not merely growth in industrial numbers but also a continuously evolving "industrial ecosystem".

The vitality of this system is evident from a single train: the local sourcing rate for the Phase I trains of Chengdu Metro Line 13 reaches as high as 71.63 percent. The train is newly manufactured by Chengdu CRRC Changke Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. in the Tianfu Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Zone in Xinjin, under the supervision of the Chengdu Rail Transit Industry Technology Research. Among the components, the train doors are supplied by Chengdu Kangni Rail Transit Equipment Co., Ltd., within the same industrial zone, and the fully automatic operation system is developed by Chengdu Traffic Control Technology Co., Ltd., located in the Jinniu High-tech Industrial Park.

One industrial park forms a complete supply chain, where operations on different floors converge upstream and downstream processes.

Today, Chengdu has gathered over 570 upstream and downstream enterprises in the rail transit sector, establishing a spatial development pattern known as "One University, One Headquarters, Three Bases". "One University" is Southwest Jiaotong University; "One Headquarters" is the Jinniu Technology Service Industrial Functional Zone; and "Three Bases" are the Xindu Modern Transportation Industry Functional Zone, the Tianfu Intelligent Manufacturing Industrial Zone, and the Pujiang Sichuan-Xizang Railway Maintenance and Living New Town. This framework forms an advantage in the full-fledged industrial chain integrating scientific R&D, survey and design, engineering construction, equipment manufacturing, and operations and maintenance services.

In addition to the clustering of the industrial chain itself, the construction of an industrial ecosystem lies in the systematic integration of factors such as innovation funding and application scenarios. Providing funding, policies, and real-world applications creates an innovation ecosystem where elements are interconnected and continuously evolving.

Turn the clock back to the beginning of this year. Chengdu's first municipal-district collaborative rail transit industry fund was officially registered and launched. The fund will focus on the "broad rail transit" sector to invest in high-quality enterprises that represent new quality productive forces, including the individual champion firms, enterprises using special and sophisticated technologies, and "hard-core technology" players that possess key technologies and core competencies in their respective market segments.

For technological seeds to take root and sprout in industrial soil, the key nutrient of "application scenarios" is essential.

The "Driving the Future of Rail, Collaborative Innovation for Mutual Benefit"** rail transit industry chain enterprise exchange and matchmaking event held recently in Chengdu focused its theme on "scenario cultivation and ecosystem empowerment".

"Chengdu's rail transit network ranks fourth nationwide in scale, linking an average of six million daily passenger trips at one end and an industrial market worth hundreds of billions on the other, nurturing numerous possibilities for scenario-based innovation," many attendees expressed with anticipation.

A relevant executive from Chengdu Rail Industry Investment Group stated, "By regularly organizing matchmaking sessions and releasing scenario demand lists, we effectively facilitate 'supply-demand matching and technology alignment' between centrally administered or state-owned enterprises and private technology firms, gradually establishing a full-cycle innovation mechanism encompassing demand release, technology matching, and outcome commercialization."

Behind this shift is Chengdu's rail transit evolution from "building infrastructure" to "cultivating an ecosystem". It not only clears the path for transforming needs into technology and then into tangible outcomes but fundamentally reshapes the logic of industrial collaboration and value creation. These rail transit scenarios are gradually transforming into systematic drivers that fuel industrial iteration and stimulate technological breakthroughs. As the executive from Chengdu Rail Industry Investment Group remarked, "An industrial ecosystem characterized by resource sharing, collaborative innovation, and interconnectedness will propel Chengdu's rail transit industry to climb to greater heights."

What driving force has enabled Chengdu's rail transit to weave lines into a network?

The 750-kilometer rail transit network profoundly impacts people, the city, and industry. So, what driving force has enabled Chengdu's rail transit to weave lines into a network?

In the view of Liu Qian, General Manager of China Metro Engineering Consulting Corporation, "Rail transit must, first and foremost, serve the people."

As a city with a population exceeding 21 million, Chengdu generates tens of millions of travel demands daily. The continuously growing population and travel demands, in turn, compel the transportation system to achieve a leap in capacity and efficiency. At the same time, as Chengdu's urban structure evolves from a single center to multiple centers, the mission of rail transit extends far beyond merely meeting people's mobility needs. As urban space and industrial layouts continue to expand outward, rail transit naturally assumes the mission of linking regional economic arteries and reshaping the city's framework.

Therefore, 750 kilometers is not merely a mileage figure; it is the outcome of the dynamic evolution among people, the city, industry, and rail transit. Today, as more lines continue to extend into industrial parks, new urban districts, and surrounding cities, a more efficient and resilient development blueprint is steadily unfolding.