Line 4 (Guangzhou Metro)

Line 4
Line 4 L1 train near Shiqi
Overview
Other name(s)	M5b (7 lines plan name) M4 (2000 plan name) Nansha line (南沙线)
Status	Operational
Owner	City of Guangzhou
Locale	Nansha, Panyu, Haizhu and Tianhe districts Guangzhou, Guangdong
Termini	Nansha Passenger Port Huangcun
Stations	23
Service
Type	Rapid transit
System	Guangzhou Metro
Services	2
Operator	Guangzhou Metro Corporation
Rolling stock	CRRC Qingdao Sifang/ Kawasaki Heavy Industries Metro cars
Daily ridership	373,900 (2017 daily average) 556,000 (2019 Peak)
History
Opened	26 December 2005 (2005-12-26)
Technical
Line length	60.03 km (37.30 mi)
Number of tracks	2
Character	Underground + Elevated
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Electrification	Third rail, 1,500 V DC (Overhead lines with same voltage installed in depot and zig zag tracks near Nansha Passenger Port Station)
Operating speed	85 km/h (53 mph)
Route map  21  to Zengcheng Square Huangcun  21  Guangshen Railway  21  to Tianhe Park  13  to Xinsha Chebei  13   13  to Chaoyang Connection to Line 5 Chebeinan  5   5  to Jiaokou to Wenchong Pearl River  THZ1  to Canton Tower Wanshengwei  8   THZ1   8  to Jiaoxin to Lianhua (future)  12  to Xunfenggang Luntouhai Creek Guanzhou  12  Guanzhou River Higher Education Mega Center North  12   7  to Yanshan Higher Education Mega Center South  7   12  Connection to Line 7 Higher Education Mega Center South Stabling Yard (Line 12) Lijiao Stream  7  to Meidi Dadao Xinzao Xinzao Depot Guanghui IR Guanqiao Shiqi Haibang  3   3  to Airport North (Terminal 2) Dichong Shiqiaoli Creek Shawan Creek Dongchong Qingsheng Guangshengang HSR Huangge Auto Town Huangge Jiaomen  15   15  anti-clockwise Jiaomenjiao Creek Jinzhou Nansha Stabling Yard Feishajiao Guanglong Dachong Tangkeng  15  clockwise Nanheng  15  Nansha Passenger Port  15  Shiziyang Creek

Line 4
Simplified Chinese	广州地铁4号线
Traditional Chinese	廣州地鐵4號線
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Guǎngzhōu Dìtiě Sì Hào Xiàn Yue: Cantonese Jyutping gwong2zau1 dei6tit3 sei3 hou6 sin3

Line 4 of the Guangzhou Metro is a south-north line on the system that runs between Nansha Passenger Port and Huangcun stations, spanning a total of 60.03 km (37.30 mi) with 24 stations (while Guanqiao not yet in service). The sections of the line from Xinzao to Huangcun and Feishajiao to Nansha Passenger Port is underground, while the section from Jinzhou to Guanqiao is above ground. Line 4's colour is dark green. Like line 5 and 6, trains runs with linear motor technology.

History

Early Planning

A line resembling the current northern section of Line 4 first appeared in plans for Guangzhou Metro in 1997. It would have been a branch off what was called Line 5 at the time, running from Pazhou to Grand World Scenic Park.

By 2000, it had been separated into its own line and realigned to run from Xinzhao to Guangzhou Science City, with construction slated to start in 2002 or 2003, pending approval, and expected completion in 2010.

The line received planning approval in 2005, planned to eventually connect the new districts of Luogang in the north and Nansha in the south. Four carriage linear motor train sets would run on the line, with the full line expected to need 30 sets initially.

Phase 1 (Huangcun - Xinzhao)

Work on the line commenced on 28 January 2003, initially focusing on the northern terminus and interchange station with Line 2 (now Line 8), Chigang Pagoda station (since renamed Wanshengwei). The first section would run from here to Xinzhao via Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, with a total of 5 stations.

With planning approval, this early work now formed part of Phase 1 from Olympic Sports Center (since renamed Huangcun) to Xinzhao, with a total of 8 stations, as well as a maintenance and stabling facility in Xinzhao.

Phase 1 between Wanshengwei and Xinzhao stations opened for passenger service on 26 December 2005. The line initially operated at a very low frequency of approximately every 32 minutes, as only a single train was ready for service of the two that had arrived.

The line was extended one stop north to Chebeinan on 28 December 2009, providing an interchange to Line 5 which opened on the same day.

The final section of Phase 1 (Chebeinan to Huangcun) opened on 25 September 2010.

Phase 2 (Xinzhao - Jinzhou)

A southward extension to the line, Phase 2, was approved in 2006. It would run from Xinzhao to Chongwei (since renamed Jinzhou), with a total of 10 stations, including 2 designated infill stations to be built later. Unlike phase 1, this section would be built elevated on a viaduct.

The first section of Phase 2 between Xinzao and Huangge opened on 30 December 2006, following a 9 day full line closure for train testing.

In the following year, the line again closed on 8 May for further testing, with replacement buses being provided. Upon reopening on 28 June, the remaining section of Phase 2 between Huangge and Jinzhou was opened for passenger service.

The first of the infill stations opened as Qingsheng on 28 December 2017, together with Phase 3 of the line. Work began on the second, named Guanqiao, in 2021. It was planned to be completed in 2024 but has not opened as of May 2026.

Phase 3 (Jinzhou - Nansha Passenger Port)

In 2012, as part of the Guangzhou Urban Rail Transport Near-term Plan (2012-2018), a further southern extension of Line 4 to Nansha Passenger Port was approved, with a further 5 stations to be completed between 2013 and 2017.

Work on the extension was officially started in Jinlong station (since renamed Feishajiao) on 31 May 2013.

Phase 3 opened in full on 28 December 2017.

Opening timeline

Line 4 drawn to scale.

Segment	Commencement	Length	Station(s)	Name
Xinzao — Wanshengwei	26 December 2005	16.2 km (10.07 mi)	5	(1st section)
Huangge — Xinzao	30 December 2006	22.3 km (13.86 mi)	6	(2nd section)
Jinzhou — Huangge	28 June 2007	5.1 km (3.17 mi)	2	(3rd section)
Wanshengwei — Chebeinan	28 December 2009	3.8 km (2.36 mi)	1	Line 4 & 5 connector project
Chebeinan — Huangcun	25 September 2010	2.0 km (1.24 mi)	2	Northern extension
Nansha Passenger Port — Jinzhou	28 December 2017	13.64 km (8.48 mi)	6	Southern extension
Qingsheng	28 December 2017	Infill station	1	Guangshengang XRL connector

Stations

Service routes		Station №		Station name		Connections	Future Connections	Distance km		Location
				English	Chinese
●		401		Nansha Passenger Port	南沙客运港		15	0.00	0.00	Nansha
●		402		Nanheng	南横			2.97	2.97
●		403		Tangkeng	塘坑			2.30	5.27
●		404		Dachong	大涌			2.01	7.28
●		405		Guanglong	广隆			2.14	9.42
●		406		Feishajiao	飞沙角			1.91	11.33
●		407		Jinzhou	金洲			2.31	13.64
●		408		Jiaomen	蕉门		15	2.00	15.64
●		409		Huangge	黄阁			3.00	18.64
●		410		Huangge Auto Town	黄阁汽车城			1.54	20.18
●		411		Qingsheng	庆盛	QSQ  GSH		4.07	24.25
●		412		Dongchong	东涌			2.39	26.64
●		413		Dichong	低涌			3.94	30.58	Panyu
●		414		Haibang	海傍	3  301-4		2.45	33.03
●		415		Shiqi	石碁			2.25	35.28
｜		416		Guanqiao	官桥	GQA  GH		2.49	37.77
●	●	417		Xinzao	新造			7.25	45.02
●	●	418		Higher Education Mega Center South	大学城南	7  709  12  1225		2.25	47.27
●	●	419		Higher Education Mega Center North	大学城北	12  1224		2.22	49.49
●	●	420		Guanzhou	官洲	12  1223		1.39	50.88	Haizhu
●	●	421		Wanshengwei	万胜围	8  828  THZ1  THZ110		3.69	54.57
●	●	422		Chebeinan	车陂南	5  518		2.07	56.64	Tianhe
●	●	423		Chebei	车陂	13  1322 GBRT		1.23	57.87
●	●	424		Huangcun	黄村	21  2104 JSQ		2.16	60.03

Operations

On 9 May 2015, Line 4 commenced short working operations, with selected trains running only between Huangcun and Xinzao. This allowed headways in the busier northern section of the line to be reduced to as low as 3 minutes in the morning peak, serving the rapidly growing Huangcun and Higher Education Mega Center areas.

Fleet

Line 4 uses four carriage linear motor L type trains. Each set is 71 m (233 ft) long, 2.8 m (9.2 ft) wide and has a maximum service speed of 90 km/h (56 mph).

Thirty trainsets (designated class L1) were initially ordered for the line, to be manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in collaboration with CSR Sifang. The first set rolled off the production line in Qingdao on 27 November 2005 and the final set was delivered in March 2008.

A further 27 sets (designated class L5) were ordered ahead of the Phase 3 extension to Nansha Passenger Port. These were manufacturered fully domestically by CSR Sifang. The first four sets ran under their own power for the first time on 20 May 2017 and all sets had been delivered by 2 August the same year.