Life in Mainland China
Metros: a Chinese conversation with pinyin and English
How many Chinese cities have a metro, which systems are longest, and what riding one involves.
Play: MetrosThe conversation
Speakers: Haoran and Xiaoyu.
- Haoran
你知道截至2025年底，全国有多少个城市开通了城市轨道交通吗？
Do you have any idea how many cities across the country had urban rail transit by the end of 2025?
- Xiaoyu
不知道，不过你肯定要告诉我。
No clue, but I'm sure you're about to tell me.
- Haoran
猜一个嘛，究竟有多少？
Go on, take a guess. How many are there, really?
- 54个城市 54 cities
- 14个城市 14 cities
- 104个城市 104 cities
Answer
54个城市 54 cities
- Xiaoyu
54个？这数字比我画过的速写还多。
54? That's more than all the sketches I've ever drawn.
- Haoran
北京地铁总里程最长，截至2026年9月已经达到909公里了。
Beijing has the longest total subway network, hitting 909 kilometers by September 2026.
- Xiaoyu
上海听了怕是要不服气了。
Shanghai's probably gonna be mad hearing that.
- Haoran
上海统计口径不一样，报上来是898公里，两边其实差得不多。
Shanghai uses different statistical criteria and comes in at 898 kilometers, so the two sides are really not that far apart.
- Xiaoyu
坐地铁也跟坐飞机一样，随身背包必须过安检。
Riding the subway is just like taking a flight—you gotta send your backpack through security.
- Haoran
北京打从2008年奥运会起就一直这样查。
Beijing's been checking bags like that ever since the 2008 Olympics.
- Xiaoyu
进站直接刷手机二维码就行。不过我最想画的还是那个。
You can just scan your phone's QR code right at the gate. Though what I really want to draw is that one place.
- Haoran
一听你这语气，我就知道你要说什么了。
I can tell just by your tone what you're about to say.
- Xiaoyu
重庆李子坝站嘛！2号线列车直接穿过一栋19层的高楼。
Chongqing's Liziba Station, obviously! Line 2 trains run right through a 19-story apartment building.
- Haoran
那是建筑跟轨道一体化设计的，列车直接从大楼中间开过去。
That's an integrated design combining architecture and rail, with the trains passing straight through the middle of the building.
- Xiaoyu
要是跟人说“我家离这儿差两站，顺便还住在地铁站顶上”，多有意思。
Imagine telling people, "My place is two stops away, and oh yeah, I live on top of a subway station." How cool is that?
Words in the conversation
Notes
How many cities, how much track
At the end of 2025, 54 cities in mainland China had urban rail transit in operation, with more than 11,000 km of line. Ministry of Transport data for the end of 2025 gave 343 lines, 11,710.3 km and 6,680 stations, with 764.7 km added during 2025 (as reported by GMT8 Press; the figure includes monorail, maglev and other modes).
The longest systems
Ministry of Transport data for September 2026, metro and light rail only, as reported by 36Kr: Beijing 909 km, Shanghai 881.5 km, Guangzhou 772.6 km, Chengdu 719.5 km, Shenzhen 653.7 km, Wuhan 596.5 km, Nanjing 556.8 km, Hangzhou 516 km, Chongqing 512.3 km, Xi'an 404.1 km. Shanghai counts its own network differently and reported 898 km in December 2025. Beijing's network carried 3.58 billion trips in 2025.
Security checks
Beijing began checking bags at all subway stations for the 2008 Olympics, with X-ray machines. By 2010 all 280 stations then open had scanning machines.
Paying with a phone
Riders tap in with a QR code in an app. The Shanghai transport QR code is available inside Alipay and a WeChat mini-program.
Women's carriages
In June 2017 Guangzhou set aside the last carriage of Line 1 trains for women during weekday peak hours; men are asked, not required, to keep out. Shenzhen began "women first" carriages the same month and had them on all its lines by March 2018.
Chongqing: the train through a building
Chongqing is built on steep hills along two rivers, and part of its system is monorail. On Line 2, Liziba station sits inside a 19-storey residential building, and the trains pass through its middle floors. The city government describes the station as occupying the sixth and seventh floors, beside the Jialing River (other sources say the sixth to eighth). The building and station were built together as one structure.
Metros
How many Chinese cities have a metro, which systems are longest, and what riding one involves.
About how many mainland cities had urban rail transit in operation at the end of 2025?
Answer
54. The Ministry of Transport counted 54 cities with more than 11,000 km of line.
Which city had the longest metro and light rail network in September 2026, by Ministry of Transport data?
Answer
Beijing. Beijing had 909 km, ahead of Shanghai at 881.5 km.
Which of these cities was in the top five by metro length in 2026?
Answer
Chengdu. Chengdu ranked fourth with 719.5 km.
What do you usually do with your bag when you enter a Beijing subway station?
Answer
Put it through an X-ray scanner. Beijing has scanned bags at subway entrances since 2008.
On Chongqing's Line 2, what does the train pass through at Liziba station?
Answer
A residential building. The monorail station is inside a 19-storey block of flats.
Where can a rider open the Shanghai transport QR code?
Answer
Inside Alipay and a WeChat mini-program. Inside Alipay and a WeChat mini-program.
In 2017 Guangzhou and Shenzhen introduced special carriages for whom?
Answer
Women. They are priority carriages for women at busy times; men are asked, not required, to use other cars.