World's first panda-themed subway line runs in Chengdu

Passengers are happy to see a stuffed panda doll on the Panda-themed subway line 3 in Chengdu city, Southwest China's Sichuan province, on July 31, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

A train full of Panda elements ran from Taipingyuan stop at 8:30 am on Sunday, marking the official opening of the first phase of subway line 3 in Chengdu city, Southwest China's Sichuan province.

During the initial operation of subway line 3, the trains operated from 6:30 am to 10:50 pm by charging passengers in accordance with their travel distances. With 2 yuan ($0.3) as the base rate, the line's total 17 stops, covering 20.3 km, cost only 4 yuan. The operation hours will be adjusted in accordance with the passenger flows.

"Subway line 3, running through the urban center, will shorten the commuters' one-way travel time to 34 minutes. However, this also means an upcoming traffic burden for the line, which is expected to witness a daily passenger flow of 400,000," said an insider from Chengdu Subway.