On the early morning of December 23, as the Suzhou Metro Line 11 train crossed the line and entered the district of Line 3, the first phase of the Line 3/11 connection and renovation project, in which CASCO participated, was officially completed, helping the two lines successfully "join hands".
Suzhou Metro Line 11 starts from Weiting Station in Suzhou in the west and ends at Huaqiao Station in Kunshan in the east, where it is connected to Suzhou Metro Line 3 and Shanghai Metro Line 11 respectively. Therefore, three lines have been combined to form a transportation corridor linking up Shanghai and Jiangsu. The connection of Lines 3 and 11 will enable cross-line operation and improve travel efficiency. It is of great significance for strengthening the transportation connection between Kunshan and downtown Suzhou, and promoting the Shanghai-Suzhou integration and the coordinated development of the Yangtze River Delta.
Since Line 11 is a GoA4 fully automatic line, while Line 3, which was opened earlier, is GoA2, there are obvious differences in facilities, equipment and system functions between the two lines. In addition, the control centers of the two lines are independent of each other, using different operating methods such as dispatching and commanding, while their operation and management models are not entirely consistent. All of these put forward higher requirements on the technical level and project experience of the renovation implementers.
As a "brain replacement surgery expert" in the field of overhaul and renovation, CASCO once again demonstrated the hard-core capabilities. We formulated a non-disruptive renovation plan for this project, and shouldered the responsibility for supplying and integrating the signaling system, communication system, integrated monitoring system and platform screen door system, coordinating the fully automatic operation consistency, and installing the signaling system.
To realize the connection of the two lines, firstly, the hardware of the entire signaling system of Line 3 needed to be upgraded to meet the requirements of GoA4 operation. The scope of the renovation involved the two main lines, depots and linking-up lines of other related lines, etc. Meanwhile, it was the first time in the industry that the existing control center equipment had to be renovated and relocated. Secondly, the trains and trackside equipment of Line 11 needed to be modified to be compatible with the train-ground communication modes of the two signaling systems. Finally, the transformation of the station layout and signaling system equipment of Weiting Station was completed. The entire renovation project was multi-faceted with arduous task.
On-site reconstruction
Since the commencement of the on-site reconstruction in August 2023, CASCO maximized its capacity as the coordinator of fully-automatic operation consistency to perform scientific coordination, careful organization, and close collaboration with various units, and successfully completed the delivery after 4 months of intense work. After completion, Line 3/11 will be operated in a "double-intersection" mode. From then on, 30 minutes can be saved on the journey from the “Gate of the Orient” in Suzhou to Huaqiao compared with the past, so that the time and space distance between Shanghai and Suzhou will be further shortened.
Next, CASCO will continue our efforts to push forward the subsequent renovation tasks for integrated operation of Suzhou Metro Line 3/11 at an early date. Meanwhile, another fully automatic metro line, Line 8, which CASCO is involved in, is also under intensive construction. In the future, Line 8 will form a “ring” with Line 3 to further improve the layout of Suzhou's metro network and inject new impetus into the construction of the Yangtze River Delta metropolitan area on rails.
