Woo Hoo Wuhan - Metro Line 12

Great Picture!

Wuhan's latest Metro is Line 12 in MID BLUE.

It is a true circular line (a rare beast indeed) operating in the central area of the city with two crossings of the River Yangtse.  It us fully automatic with platform screens and doors which makes a video of a cab ride a tad on the tedious side!

Hence the opening picture of this posting!

And it is only half open!

The rest will follow later this year.

Here is the half that is open shown on a geographical map extract of the full system!

Surely Wuhan needs a modern-day Harry Beck to design a diagram that is easier to follow?

There are diagrams on line, BUT ...

... simplicity is heavily compromised by the desire to use both English and Chinese script! The full version of the above diagram doesn't have Line 12 included anyway.

And there is a massive bludner on the diagram.

On the YELLOW line you read of a Metro stop called "East Square of Wuhan Station".

Well, it isn't!

fbb will explain.

There are THREE main line "National Rail" stations in the City, corresponding to the three historic communities that were brought together to created to modern metropolitan area.

Our desire to grasp something of the new Line 12 takes us to Wuchang station, eschewing Wuhan and Hankou. East Square is at Wuchang not Wuhan.

The National Rail station is a splendid edifice in  pseudo traditional style ...

... looking gorgeous as the sun sets.

A closer look at the geographical Metro map reveals two Metro lines at Wuchang station.

We are offered interchange with LIME Metro Line 4 ...

... and ORANGE  Line 7.

So, if 4 and 7 are in the main station, where are 11 and 12?

To the east of the main station building is East Square ...

... where sits a separate entrance to a Metro station.

There, on the totem, we see reference to YELLOW Metro Line 11 ...

.... now joined by the new Line 12! 

The big map explains all.

Tricky, innit?

But East Square Metro holds a secret which will be revealed when we look at stations and trains for Line 12 in more detail.

Above, we enjoy the floodlit Yellow Crane Tower, one of the oft rebuilt "ancient" sites of Wuhan. And it is yellow!

But yellowerer when it is floodlit!

To be continued.

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For the next few days, in a snippet on each blog, fbb will outline the possible reasons, the experiences and the possible consequences of the last week or so. The squeamish or hospital phobic should not read this diary!

EIGHT DAYS INSIDE (Thurs 28th May)

Endoscopy Day. You think it will be scary but it really isn't. A little light sedation means you hardly notice what is happening!

Things were looking up whilst Dr Rogers was looking down. Melena seemed to have finished her disruptive internal work with the Endoscopy being a visual check to see that the internal bleeding (a dribble not a gush) had stopped.

It had, apparently.

fbb should be home at the weekend.

The grub was going down well.

Woo Hoo Wuhan : Metro Line 1

Each Metro line is colour coded with reminders in the trains, in signage and on any publicity. Sadly fbb's knowledge of Mandarin ...

... is hopelessly inadequate.

We know that Line 1 was the first to emerge under State Control in 2004. Then it ran from Hangpou Road to Zongguan.

Ridership was disappointing, possibly because the line did not go very far!

This was partly redeemed in 2010 by extensions at both ends; from Zingguan to Donwu Boukevard in the west ...

... and from Hangpou Road to Dijiao in the east.

A small further extension in 2014 and a second small extension in 2017 completed the line ...

... so far.

Trains are to a fairly standard design throughout the system, but Line 1 units are driven by a real person ...

... who nips smartly out if his cab to check the doors are fully closed.

All pictures show the driver standing smartly to attention as he does his stuff. Smart is the word.

There are nominal platform barriers ...

... but for queue control rather than safety.

Being the first of a forthcoming Metro growth, Line 1 does not have the lavishness of more recent openings. All of Line 1 is above ground on viaduct.

Parts of the viaduct are equipped with glazed fences ...

... which look like sound barriers.

Some of the original stations have simple platform canopies, but those in the video from which fbb took the screenshots are more substantial. They have a bit of Docklands Light Railway about them.

The stations are probably better equipped than those on the DLR!

There seemed to be plenty of frequency trundling by in the opposite direction.

Foraging For Fares

We already know, from a few blogs back, that the maximum fare on a Wuhan city bus is 2 yen (about 20p).

 

Wikipedia helps us with Metro fares which are based in distance travelled.

Wuhan Metro fares are calculated based on distance, ranging from ¥2 for the first 9 km to ¥15 for longer trips. Single-journey tickets, rechargeable transit cards, and multi-day travel options offer flexible payment methods for navigating the city's extensive transit network.

Too hard to unravel for fbb, other than the basics.

But fares are CHEAP!

Timetable Troubles

Despite a noble effort and a trawl of numerous web sites that purport to provide Metro timetables, even the agile brain of your ailing octogenarian has so far failed.

All fbb has found is a first train/last train list for each stop on Line 1.

Well, its a start if you are thinking of a holiday in Wuhan.

fbb isn't!

Tomorrow fbb looks at recently opened Line 12.

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For the next few days, in a snippet on each blog, fbb will outline the possible reasons, the experiences and the possible consequences of the last week or so. The squeamish or hospital phobic should not read this diary!

EIGHT DAYS INSIDE (Intermission)

27th May was a day of waiting, waiting and more waiting; waiting and then waiting for a bed.

People are often quick to blame God when things go wrong; with wrong things be8ng anything from bad medical news to wars and accidents. Oddly, you don't often hear, from the same people, too much praise for God when things are going really well.

For fbb, trusting God and involving God in every part of his life is how it should be; even if his trust wavers at times.

fbb does not 'believe' in God; he  knows in every inch of his mind and body the God has his front, back, top and bottom 24/7.

That means that, ultimately, fbb's future is God's business. His survival or departure is in His hands. Eternity in God's family has got to be the very best option when the time comes.

This verse comes from a well known hymn, "O Worship The King".

Says it all, doesn't it?

Yoo Hoo Wuhan : Magnificent Metro

 Part 1 - What IS A "Metro"?

In 1863, the very first "Metro" was opened in London between Paddington and Farringdon, soon extended to Liverpool Street. It was operated by a company called the 'Metropolitan Railway Company'.

Trains were steam hauled and the line was built along main roads with huge disruption to traffic (horse drawn), pedestrians and property owners.

Whilst engravings of the early trains are 'optimistic' ...

... fbb doubts whether the ride would be pleasant.

Then 27 years later, something very different appeared. The City and South London Railway ran in a 'tube' from King William Street to Stockwell. 

Obviously trains were hauled by electric locos ...

... with padded cell carriages.

The stock was smaller even than today's 'tube' trains, later enlarged to be part of the Northern Line.

Both 'sizes' of underground then expanded rapidly, all as commercial businesses aiming to make a profit for their shareholders.

Most of the deep level 'tube' lines were bought out by Charles Tyson Yerkes (pronounced 'Yurk-ease ') who was an American go-getting entrepreneur, financier and crook!

Allegedly!

Meanwhile the other group of 'subsurface' big train lines, The District Railway was expanding rapidly. The big cheeses of the District and Metropolitan companies hated each other with an evangelical fervour despite being obliged to work the circle line jointly.

Bur the commercial operation if the capital's key transport service was beginning to show its weakness.

The whole caboodle became London Transport in 1933.

From then onwards Underground, buses, trolleybuses and trams became the first and still the biggest "PTE".

There was a programme of development of the underground, a massive task which was not completed until after WW2. The Northern, Central and Piccadilly were extended, several bits taking over British Railways (or predecessors') routes.

Part 2 - How Many Years?

A few bits closed. The South Acton shuttle, the Aldwych branch and Epping to Ongar all vanished from the Underground map.

Newcomers were The Victoria Line, Piccadilly to Heathrow, Jubilee to Stratford and Docklands Light Railway. 

So far, all the above are happily part of a London "Metro". Now things get tricky definition-wise.

Thameslink is a National Rail service.

The Overground is a National Rail network, subcontracted to London Transport.

The Elizabeth Line line is a British Rail line branded as part if the Underground.

Confusing, innit?

So how long has it taken for the current London "Metro" to evolve? It all depends on what to add into to Metro mixing bowl.

For the purpose of this debate, fbb will allow the Elizabeth Line line because it has a traditional name, a traditional roundel and a traditional colour. Readers are welcome to accept or ignore the Overground; it's the end dates that matter!

The full Lizzy Line services began in 2023.

So, it has taken from 1863 to 2023, a total of ...

160 years.

... to create the London Metro that we know today.

Part 3  - How Long In Wuhan?

The first Metro in Wuhan was, surprisingly, LINE 1 ...

... but it is not quite as simple as that.

The latest Metro to open is LINE 12 which can be spotted in the centre of the full network map ...

... but it is not quite as simple as that! The line becomes a full circle later this year.

So, when did construction of the 2026 network of Wuhan Metro begin?

Certainly NOT 1868!

The first section of Line 1 opened in ...

2004

... and just 22 years later we have the network seen above!

How's High Speed 1 going, UK?

How's the Bakerloo to Lewisham going?

What about Docklands to Thamesmead?

What about Crossrail 2?

Is it perhaps a "sad reflection on something" that it takes one of these ...

... to get things done; whlst one of these ...

... seems to struggle.

Or is the UK no longer economically strong enough to handle the big projects?

Tomorrow, no cynicism, just  a better look a Wuhan and its Metro!

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For the next few days, in a snippet on each blog, fbb will outline the possible reasons, the experiences and the possible consequences of the last week or so. The squeamish or hospital phobic should not read this diary!

EIGHT DAYS INSIDE (Weds 27th May)

On 26th Dr Kar had d8scussed fbb's frail state, measured his blood pressure and, after three attemots at "perforation" had failed to take blood. Fortunately the surgery's phlebotomist was available and without an appointment bloods were successfully extrracted.

The results were back on 27th with Dr Kar having arranged an emergency admission to "Acute Medical" at Exeter.

That was the only tine that fbb felt fearful!

He remembers saying to Mrs fbb, "We may have to come to terms with the very real possibility that this might be the beginning of the end."

But then he no longer felt fearful.