Guangzhou Metro (simplified Chinese: 广州地铁; traditional Chinese: 廣州地鐵; Mandarin Pinyin: Guǎngzhōu Dìtiě; Jyutping: jim2 zau1 dei6 tit3) is the metro system of the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province of China. It is operated by the state-owned Guangzhou Metro Corporation and was the fourth metro system to be built in mainland China, after those of Beijing, Tianjin and Shanghai.
The earliest effort of preparation for a project to build an underground rapid transit system in Guangzhou dates back to 1960. In the two decades that followed, the project was brought into the agenda fives times, but ended up abandoned each time due to financial and technical difficulties. Preparation of what would lead to today's Guangzhou Metro did not start until the 1980s, and it was not until 1993 that construction of the first line, Line 1, officially began. Line 1 opened four years later in 1997 with five stations in operation.
As of November 2010, Guangzhou Metro has eight lines in operation, namely Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 5, Line 8, Guangfo Line, and Zhujiang New Town APM. A major portion of the metro system services the urban areas of the city, while Lines 2, 3 and 4 also reach into the suburban areas in Huadu, Baiyun District, Panyu and Nansha; Guangfo Line connects Guangzhou and Foshan and is the first intercity underground metro line in the country. Daily service hours start at 6:00 am and end at midnight, and ridership averages 5.6 million. Having delivered 1.64 billion rides in 2011, Guangzhou Metro is the sixth busiest metro system in the world.
Guangzhou Metro operates 144 stations, including 14 interchange stations, and 236 km of tracks. Massive expansion of the metro network has been planned for the decade of 2011–2020. Two new lines, Line 6 and Line 9, and extensions of Line 8 and Guangfo Line are already under construction and expected to be completed between 2013 and 2016. Total operational capacity is scheduled to exceed 600 km by 2020.
See: Official Guangzhou Metro Model Train