Suzhou's subway connects with neighboring Shanghai

Passengers transfer to Suzhou's Metro Line 11 from Shanghai's Metro Line 11 at Huaqiao Station in Kunshan, Jiangsu province, on Saturday. [Chen Mengze/for China Daily]

Commuters between Shanghai and neighboring Suzhou of Jiangsu province have a new travel option after Suzhou's Metro Line 11 went into operation on Saturday.

The new line connects with Shanghai's Metro Line 11 at Kunshan Huaqiao Station in Kunshan, a county-level city under the administration of Suzhou, allowing passengers seamless transfer between the two cities' metros.

This is the first time that the core cities in the Yangtze River Delta region have linked their subway systems, and is part of efforts to enhance transportation interconnection.

"The most convenient part of taking this new metro line is its flexibility, especially compared with taking the high-speed train," said Meng Fan, a Suzhou resident who frequently travels to Shanghai.

"The metro station is not that crowded, and we will not have to follow tight train schedules. If we change our travel plan at any time on the way, we can just get on and off the metro without too many concerns."

Lu Wenxue, general manager of Suzhou Rail Transit Group, said Suzhou Metro Line 11 was planned as early as a decade ago, when Kunshan Huaqiao Station, which served as the northern terminal of Shanghai Metro Line 11, started operation.

Shanghai Metro Line 11 connects Kunshan of Suzhou with Shanghai's Jiading district and then continues southeast to pass through the city's Putuo, Xuhui and Pudong districts to end at Shanghai Disney Station.

"Suzhou Metro 11 is actually the city's sixth subway route, yet we named it Line 11 to sync with Shanghai's Metro Line 11," Lu said.

According to Ding Chen, an official from the information office of Kunshan government, Huaqiao is home to nearly 100,000 people who commute regularly between Kunshan and Shanghai.

The launch of the intercity subway line runs through Suzhou Industrial Park, and paves the way for further synergy between Suzhou and Shanghai, as many Fortune 500 enterprises have built their Chinese headquarters in Shanghai while placing their factories in Suzhou.

Shanghai's Metro Line 17, which is being extended to the west, will connect with Suzhou's Metro Line 10 in the coming years, according to published government plans.

Wang Xin contributed to this story.