| Optics Valley Suspended Monorail | |
|---|---|
.jpg) A carriage crossing over a road. | |
| Overview | |
| Other name | 光谷空轨 (Chinese name) |
| Status | Operational |
| Locale | Donghu New Technology Development Zone,Wuhan |
| Termini | |
| Stations | 6 |
| Website | www.whggjtjs.com |
| Service | |
| Type | Rapid transit |
| System | Wuhan Metro |
| Operator(s) | Wuhan Optics Valley Modern Tram Corp., Ltd |
| Depot(s) | Longquanshan depot |
| Rolling stock | 6-car Type B (DKZ32) |
| Daily ridership | <13,000[1] |
| History | |
| Opened | 26 September 2023; 2 years ago (2023-09-26) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 10.5 km (6.5 mi) |
| Character | Suspended monorail |
| Electrification | 750 V DC |
| Operating speed | 60 km/h (37 mph) (maximum operating speed)[2] |
TheOptics Valley Suspended Monorail (光谷空轨), also known as theOptics Valley Photon, is a driverlesssuspended monorail line located inWuhan,Hubei,China. It is the first suspended monorail line in China, opening on September 26, 2023.[2] The line has six stations and a total length of 10.5 kilometers, with plans for the line to be extended to a second phase with a total length of 26.7 kilometers and 16 stations.
The route runs along the 10-kilometer-longOptics Valley Ecological Corridor (光谷生态大走廊), anecological corridor between 300 and 500 meters wide connectingJiufengshan mountain in the north toLongquanshan mountain in the south.[3][4] The railway is located in the southeast of Wuhan, in theDonghu New Technology Development Zone, also known as Guanggu or Optics Valley. The line was designed for both commuting and sightseeing.[5]
On May 31, 2019, theWuhan East Lake High-tech Zone Management Committee held a "Special Meeting on Optics Valley Central Ecological Corridor and Aerial Rail Concept Plan" to plan the construction of this line.[citation needed]
In January 2020, the Administrative Committee held a special meeting to study the ecological corridor project, agreed in principle to the first phase of the Optics Valley Ecological Corridor Tourism Line Project (Jiufengshan-Longquanshan) line, station, and vehicle base planning plan, and requested that the piles be completed as soon as possible.[citation needed]
On November 22, 2021, Wuhan Optics Valley Transportation Construction Co., Ltd. and Wuhan Optics Valley Tourism Development Investment Co., Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of the former, established in July 2020) initiated an online vote on the vehicle name and appearance.[6] On December 1, Optics Valley Transportation and Optics Valley Tourism Investment announced the voting results. The vehicles are named the "Optical Valley Photon" and the appearance design adopts the "Technology Wing Plan".[7]
On August 26, 2022, the first Photon train rolled off the assembly line. On December 26 of the same year, it was tested at the Longquan Vehicle Base.[8]
The entire line became open to traffic in early 2023, and comprehensive joint commissioning and testing will begin in February, with test rides starting on May 11.[9] At 10:00 a.m. on September 26, 2023, the line was officially put into operation.[2]
All transfers are out-of-station.
| Station Name | Connections | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| English | Chinese | |||||
| Jiufengshan | 九峰山 | |||||
| Gaoxin Boulevard | 高新大道 | 11 (via Guanggu 4th Road) | ||||
| Gaoxin 2nd Road | 高新二路 |  Optics Valley Tram(via Optics Valley 4th Road) | ||||
| Gaoxin 4th Road | 高新四路 | |||||
| Zongbaoqu | 综保区 | |||||
| Longquanshan | 龙泉山 | |||||
The train car contains two carriages and can hold 220 people at maximum. The maximum speed of the railway is 60 kilometers per hour, and the train can append more carriages if there is high demand. It runs from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. in ten-minute intervals.[10]