SHANGHAI: A new depot for subway trains will go into operation on December 29, the city's metro operator said yesterday.

The building, measuring 414 m long by 164 m wide, and believed to be one of the biggest of its kind in Asia, can accommodate 54 eight-carriage trains on 27 pairs of tracks for storage and maintenance purposes.

Chen Wenyan, the project's deputy chief engineer, said the depot, which has been fitted with an infrared alarm system, forms part of the extended northern terminal of the metro's Line 1, which will open for business on the same day.

As well as the new station and train storage facility, the 2.3 billion yuan ($311 million) terminal complex, which covers 340,000 sq m, will feature other facilities for testing and maintenance.

"Line 1 is the busiest of the five lines in operation, carrying 40 percent of the more than 2 million passengers who use the service every day," the engineer said.

"We introduced more trains to ease traffic congestion during peak hours, but prior to getting this new building, we didn't have enough space for storage and maintenance."

The previous storage facility could accommodate just 30 trains, he said.

"In the past, we had to drive empty trains all the way up from the southern depot to the northern terminal every night, so they could depart on time the following morning," Chen said.

"With the new depot, we will be able to increase our passenger capacity by 50 percent and shorten waiting times during peak hours."

Once opened, the extended Line 1, which will also feature two additional stations between the old and new northern terminals, will span almost 37 km, Chen said.

With the extension of the city's Line 4 and opening of three new lines - 6, 8 and 9 - also this month, the subway network will cover a total of 236 km, he said.

By 2010, it is expected to grow to more than 300 km, he said.

(China Daily December 19, 2007)