As 2019 (the Year of the Pig) draws to a close, the annual Rail Transit Rankings are here. With the opening of the northern section of Shijiazhuang Metro Line 3 on January 20, the addition of new lines for the year has officially concluded. This year, 6 new cities opened rail transit systems, bringing the total number of cities with rail transit in China to 43.
Looking at the rankings over recent years, the landscape is gradually stabilizing:
- Top Tier: The gap between the top ten cities and the rest is widening, with Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou continuing to firmly hold the top three spots.
- Rank Shifts: Competition between Wuhan and Chongqing is fierce, with the two swapping positions; Chengdu is catching up and is expected to add over 100 kilometers of new mileage next year.
- Milestones: New lines in Zhengzhou and Changsha have pushed their total mileage past the 100km mark.
- Fastest Growth: The fastest risers this year are the "Twin Stars" of Fujian Province—Xiamen (up 7 places) and Fuzhou (up 6 places).
- Rising Star: As a city that just launched its metro, Jinan performed exceptionally well, jumping straight to 30th place on the list.
(Note: The ranking cutoff date is the end of the Lunar New Year).
In the ten-year comparison, the change between 2008 and 2009 was not yet significant, maintaining at 13 rail transit cities. However, starting in 2010, China's rail transit experienced explosive development. Compared to the data from 2019, the changes over this decade have been earth-shattering.
Below are the detailed charts for the "2019 Rail Transit Rankings" and the "2009-2019 Ten-Year Rail Transit Growth Comparison":
2019 China Urban Rail Transit Rankings
2009 vs 2019 Ten-Year Rail Transit Growth Comparison
Let's look forward to the next decade together!