Cities extend metro services for New Year

Multiple Chinese cities extended the service hours of metro trains, some even offering 24-hour services to cope with increased passenger flows during the New Year's holiday.

The three-day holiday from Saturday to Monday was expected to see large numbers of travelers celebrating and welcoming the New Year, with local governments expecting a consumption boom to boost their economy.

In Hohhot, Inner Mongolia autonomous region, the two metro lines in the city ran overnight from Sunday night to Monday morning, according to Hohhot urban transport investment and construction corporation, operator of the city's metro service.

The metro trains ran at six-minute intervals from 2 pm on Sunday to 1 am on Monday and at 30-minute intervals from 1 am to 6 am on Monday.

Guo Hongtu, an official with Hohhot's commerce bureau, said that by offering the overnight service, people did not need to worry about going home early.

Almost 10 shopping malls also offered overnight services from 10 am on Sunday to 10 pm on Monday, he said, adding that people have diverse choices for eating, shopping, watching movies and other entertainment on New Year's Eve.

"The government also prepared consumption coupons and we are ready for a shopping boom during the holiday," he said.

Fan Rong, an official with Hohhot's culture, tourism, television and radio bureau, said the city has hosted events to celebrate the new year for many years, but this year the scale is the largest, with all kinds of activities.

All metro lines in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, also offered overnight services from Sunday night to Monday morning.

Li Lei, who works at the operation company of Suzhou Rail Transit, said the city's metro offered overnight services on the last days of 2020 and 2021.

The metro system was expected to have around 2.3 million passengers on the last night of 2023, he said.

In Changsha, Hunan province, most metro lines were extended by one hour until midnight on Sunday.

The metro company also shortened train intervals and prepared to operate more trains to cope with increased passenger flow, according to Peng Kai, deputy general manager of the operational unit of Changsha Metro Group.

The city made specific plans for stations in tourist sites, transportation hubs and shopping centers to cope with increased passenger flow, he said.

The six metro lines and one maglev line cover all major airports, train stations, travel sites and commercial hubs in the city, contributing to the city's economic development, Peng said.

Cang Wei contributed to the story.

Contact the writers at zoushuo@chinadaily.com.cn