Summary：Construction work began Tuesday for a new intercity metro line which will run from the eastern city of Suzhou t...

Construction work began Tuesday for a new intercity metro line which will run from the eastern city of Suzhou to Shanghai on completion.

The Suzhou Metro Line S1 project, which will end at Huaqiao Station connecting to the Shanghai Metro Line 11, was approved by the National Development and Reform Commission in August 2018.

According to the official microblog accounts of the governments of Shanghai and Suzhou, the 41.27-km Suzhou Metro Line S1 will have 28 stations. The six-car, Type B train-set will operate on Line S1 with a max speed of 100 km per hour.

It is estimated that the new line will be put into trial operation in December 2023.

Apart from the expanding intercity metro lines in the Yangtze Delta, Shanghai Metro announced on Nov. 16 that it would connect its payment system with the metro service from the neighboring cities of Hangzhou and Ningbo.

The Shanghai Shentong Metro Group said they have developed the partnership with the operators of Hangzhou Metro and Ningbo Metro. Commuters from Shanghai will soon be able to use the Shanghai Metro app in Hangzhou and Ningbo. Meanwhile, passengers from Hangzhou and Ningbo can use their metro apps in Shanghai. The service is expected to open as early as the end of the year.