Urban rail growth on fast track

More cities, including smaller ones, rush to expand their metro systems

A growing number of Chinese cities have released plans to develop urban rail transit systems, especially subways, which are known for their safety and speed, to ease traffic, boost employment and push the pace of urbanization.

By the first half of 2017, 31 cities in China had urban rail transit systems in operation with 133 lines and a total length of 4,400 kilometers, according to data from the Beijing-based National Federation of Metro Transportation.