The system has 11 lines in operation. Line 2 opened to the public on September 16,2011.[2] Line 1 began operation on September 15,2013. Line 3 began operation after months of delay on November 8,2016. Line 4 opened on December 26,2018. Lines 5,6,9 opened in December 2020. Line 14 opened in September 2019 and extended in June 2021. Xihu Line opened in November 2022. Line 16 opened on June 27,2023. Line 10 opened on September 28,2024.[3] Line 8 opened on December 26,2024.
Line 15 is expected to open in June 2025. Line 17 is expected to open no earlier than late 2027.
History
Initial proposals for a subway in Xi'an were created in the 70s which called for the Xi'an City Wall to be demolished to make way for a ring subway line. This was similar to what was done to create Beijing SubwayLine 2,but the plan was scrapped due to successful opposition by preservationists and lack of funding for the project.[4] Later,Xi'an began its planning a multiline metro system in the mid-1980s. The plan was first submitted to the State Council in 1994,with four planned lines and a total length of 73.2km (45.5mi). In February 2004,the re-drafted plan was submitted to the State Government,which received final approval on September 13,2006.
The first line,Line 2,began construction along Chang'an Street on 29 September 2006 and was completed in 2011. It runs north–south and passes under such historic sites as the Bell Tower and the Xi'an City Wall. It is 26.6km (16.5mi) long with 23.5km (14.6mi) lying underground,approximately 20 metres (65ft 7in) below the surface. It is estimated to have cost 17.9 billion yuan (US$2.24 billion).[5] The route stretches from the Beikezhan to Weiqunan with 20 stops. The travel time is 39 minutes for the entire length,cutting the commute almost in half. Operations began on 28 September 2011.[citation needed]
Four other routes were planned to start construction in 2011 and to be finished by around 2020. Once completed,the system spanned 251.8km (156.5mi) and mainly serviced the urban and suburban districts of Xi'an and part of Xianyang.[6]
On June 12,2019,the NDRC approved the Phase III (2018-2024) Construction Plan of Xi'an Metro. The plan included Line 1 (Phase 3),Line 2 (Phase 2),Line 8,Line 10 (Phase 1),Line 14,Line 15 (Phase 1) and Line 16 (Phase 1). The total length of Xi'an Metro was to be 423 kilometres (263mi).[7]
As of January2025[update],the network includes 11 metro lines and one commuter railway with a total length of 427.9km (266mi) and 270 stations.
The second route, Line 1, was scheduled to start in late 2009 but was brought one year earlier as per Chinese government's response to the Great Recession. Line 1 opened on 15 September 2013. The route runs from east to west. The line is 31.45km (19.54mi)[8] with 23 stations.
To accelerate the speed of overall economic development between Xi'an and Xianyang cities, the Transportation Department of Xi'an decided to extend Line 1 to promote business travel between the two cities, as well as improve the efficiency of land use alongside Line 1. The preparation phase for the extension Line 1 started with the compilation of a feasibility study on November 4, 2007.
The first line that was opened, Line 2, opened on 16 September 2011. This line is 33.637km (20.901mi)[9] long with 25 stations.[12] The line runs from north to south.
Line 2 links the new Xi'an North Railway Station to Weiqu. It was built 20 m below ground to protect the Xi'an City Wall, built by the Ming Dynasty [1368-1644] that was 14 km long. To protect ancient buildings from the impact of vibration, advanced technologies were used.
Construction of Xi'an Metro's Line 3 broke ground in May 2011,[13] began public trial testing on
September 20, 2016, and was opened on November 8, 2016. The line is currently 39.15km (24.33mi) long with 26 stations. When Phase 2 (still under planning) opens, the line will be 50.5km (31.4mi) long and with 31 stations.
The first & second phase of line 5 opened on December 28, 2020, it stretches from Chuangxingang to Matengkong and is 41.6 kilometres (25.8mi) long. The line runs from east to west.
The eastern section of the first phase [Matengkong to Yanminghu] opened on September 26, 2024, bringing the line another 3.4 kilometres (2.1mi), with future plans to extend 1 station east to the under construction Xi'an East Railway Station.
Line 6 opened on December 28, 2020 from Northwestern Polytechnical University to Xi'an International Medical Center with 15.6 kilometres (9.7mi).
The second phase opened on December 29, 2022, when the line was extended from Northwestern Polytechnical University to Fangzhicheng, bringing 19.5 kilometres (12.1mi), and was extended 4.5 kilometres (2.8mi) further southeast from Xi'an Int'll Medical Center to Xi'an South Railway Station, another under construction railway station. [citation needed]
Line 9 opened on December 28, 2024, starting from Fangzhicheng, the eastern terminus of Line 1 & 6, to Qinlingxi, which is 25.2 kilometres (15.7mi) long.
It was formerly the Airport Intercity railway before it was now integrated as Line 14, when this happened, the operator transfered to Xi'an Metro from Shaanxi Railway. The 29.31 km western section from Airport West (T1, T2, T3) to Xi'an Beizhan opened on 29 September 2019. The 13.65km (8.48mi) eastern section from Xi'an Beizhan to Heshao opened on 29 June 2021.
Xihu Line opened in November 2022, it is currently 41.3 kilometres (25.7mi) long that stretched from Epanggongnan to Huxian, with no intermediate stations, there are 3 infill stations planned in between them, which are Kunmingchi, Mawang, and Wuzhu.
Future development
The final sections of Lines 5 & 6 connect to two new railway stations and are to open at the same time as those stations.
On June 12, 2019, the NDRC approved the Phase III (2018-2024) Construction Plan of Xi'an Metro. The plan includes Line 1 (Phase 3), Line 2 (Phase 2), Line 8, Line 10 (Phase 1), Line 14, Line 15 (Phase 1), Line 16 (Phase 1). The total length of Xi'an Metro will be 423 kilometres (263mi) in 2024.[17]
On 30 December 2008, a fire occurred that was extinguished within an hour; all workers evacuated safely. Just 66 hours later, on 2 January, another fire occurred at another station on Line 2.[19]
On 26 May 2009, an individual suffered minor injuries from a fire during infrastructure work on Line 1.
On 2 August 2009, 9:20am, a cave-in at the construction site of Sajinqiao section of Line 1 trapped migrant workers under 10 cubic meters of earth for over three hours, hospitalizing at least two who later died at the hospital.[20]
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