Hush. A subway train glides silently into the 赤沙车辆段. This is not just a depot. It is a vital organ in Guangzhou’s metro system.
The 赤沙车辆段 is Guangzhou Metro’s train depot. It is a crucial hub. You will find it in Haizhu District. It lies south of Huangpu Village and east of Chisha Village. The depot sits inside a triangle formed by the South China Expressway.
Before reconstruction the 赤沙车辆段 covered 33.8 hectares. Its storage tracks could hold 26 train sets. Repair lines accommodated 5 train sets. It had a total capacity of 34 train sets.
Planners initially left space for future expansion on the depot’s northwest side. This was for a new storage area. They also planned for another line to enter from the south. Therefore the depot’s southern end included a throat area.
Guangzhou Metro once housed its operations headquarters here. Later it moved to Wansheng Plaza. Besides operations related to Line 8, other units resided here. These included new line construction and preparation centers. The Guangzhou Public Security Bureau’s Public Transportation Division also had offices here. So did the Guangzhou Metro University.
Line 11 uses 8-car A-type trains. The total number of trains will reach 55. The original 赤沙车辆段 was demolished. It was rebuilt as a double-layer depot. The ground floor serves as the depot and performs fixed repairs. The underground level is a parking lot.
Line 11 will connect at the depot’s south end. The ground and underground levels will link to Longtan Station and Chisha Station. The ground level will connect to the outer loops of both stations. The underground level will connect to their inner loops. After reconstruction the depot can hold 62 train sets. It will eventually expand to 82 train sets.
The north end once connected to Line 8. This section will become a connecting line. Line 8 trains can use it to reach Line 11 via the depot. The northeast side will house a metro training base. The original Line 8 entry line will become a training line. Between the storage area and track base there is an above-ground island station. It features a 2-car train. This train uses GoA4 automatic driving technology.
The 赤沙车辆段 reconstruction covers 345000 square meters. The total building area spans 362000 square meters. Above the depot are the metro control center and integrated buildings. The integrated buildings have a total area of 76000 square meters. The control center covers 30000 square meters. The depot’s upper level has space for commercial development. It extensively uses prefabricated construction. It earned recognition as a demonstration project for prefabricated construction technology. To the southwest is Chisha North Station.
Originally the 赤沙车辆段 was a maintenance and storage base for Line 2. It began operations in 2003. After the separation of Lines 2 and 8 it became part of Line 8. In the early days of Line 3 it temporarily housed trains. This was because the 厦滘车辆段 was incomplete. A4, A5, and A6 trains underwent testing here before entering service.
The metro decided to demolish and rebuild the 赤沙车辆段 for Line 11. Line 8 will switch to the Baiyun Lake Depot. This depot is near Tinggang Station on the northern extension. It will provide maintenance services.
On August 15 2020 the 赤沙车辆段 closed. The last train departed for Baiyun Lake Depot. Line 8’s operations moved there. Demolition began on the original 赤沙车辆段.
On December 27 2023 the first Line 11 train entered the 赤沙车辆段. In March 2024 the depot’s inspection and test lines completed cold滑试验. On March 28 the ground level finished 热滑试验. The “three rights” transfer was completed on March 30.
In April 2022 a worker died during maintenance. He was repairing an aerial work platform. The platform suddenly lowered causing fatal injuries.
The 赤沙车辆段 stands as a testament to Guangzhou’s commitment. It is a commitment to efficient and modern public transportation.