On January 11, the Jinhua–Yiwu section of the Jinhua–Yiwu–Dongyang Rail Transit (Jinyidong line) held a test ride ceremony. Ling Zhifeng, secretary of the Municipal Party Committee, announced the opening of the Jinhua–Yiwu section of the Jinyidong Line. Xing Zhihong, deputy secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and mayor of Jinhua, delivered a speech. Chen Lingling, Song Zhiheng, Lü Weiqiang, Wang Yaoxiang, and Wang Jian participated, and Zhang Xinyu presided at the ceremony. A spokesperson of the Municipal Rail Transit Group introduced the construction of the Jinhua–Yiwu section of the rail transit project.

Begun on July 28, 2017, the Jinyidong line is the first rail transit project in Jinhua. Consisting of the Jinhua–Yiwu section and the Yiwu–Dongyang (Hengdian) section, the line covers 107.17 km, with 31 stations and a total investment of about 34.7 bn RMB. On October 1 of the previous year, the Regulations on the Operation and Management of Rail Transit in Jinhua gained the approval of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People’s Congress and was officially implemented. On December 31, the fare plan was announced to the public.

Trail operation of Jinhua–Yiwu section rail transit

In his speech, Xing stated that the opening of the Jinhua–Yiwu section of the rail transit marked Jinhua’s entry into a new era of comprehensive transportation and an important milestone in the construction of the metropolitan area. On behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, he expressed his heartfelt thanks to people from all walks of life who have long cared for and supported the development of Jinhua’s rail transit, and extended warm greetings to all builders who have worked hard to make it a reality.

Xing pointed out that Jinhua is accelerating the construction of the fourth largest metropolitan area in Zhejiang Province, and transportation should be given priority. President Xi Jinping, during his work in Zhejiang, put forward important instructions to Jinhua to “enhance the strength of internal connection, realize the convenience of transportation between cities; strengthen the construction of external transportation networks, and realize the efficiency of external transportation.” The municipal governments have successively built a comprehensive transportation system with smooth internal and external connections, unswervingly marching towards the goal of becoming a national comprehensive transportation hub.

Jinhua has been in a crucial period of comprehensive transportation investment, construction, and development. Xing hopes that the Municipal Rail Transit Group will continue on with the construction and operation of the project, and accelerate the improvement of project operation and management services. The Jinhua–Yiwu section of the urban rail transit will be built into a safety line, a scenic line, a people-benefitting line, and a happiness line to realize the double improvement of urban functions and people’s satisfaction. He also hopes that all localities and departments will take the opening of the Jinyi section as an opportunity to promote the construction of the intercity expressway network with higher expectations, higher quality, and higher efficiency, and improve the rapid and direct interconnection of urban traffic. In addition, related departments ought to coordinate and promote the implementation of co-construction and co-prosperity projects in metropolitan areas, and make concerted efforts to promote high-quality development and construction of common prosperity demonstration areas to achieve more breakthroughs and substantive progress. (By Hu Xiaofei, translated by Zhang Jiajia, edited by Kendra)