At 9:00 a.m. on October 26, a grand groundbreaking ceremony was held for Phase I of Nantong City’s Urban Rail Transit Line 2. Attending the ceremony were Lu Zhipeng, Secretary of the CPC Nantong Municipal Committee and Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Nantong Municipal People’s Congress; Xu Huimin, Deputy Secretary of the Municipal Party Committee and Acting Mayor; Shan Xiaoming, Member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Nantong Municipal Committee and Executive Vice Mayor; leading officials from the CPC Nantong Municipal Committee, the Nantong Municipal People’s Congress, and the Nantong Municipal Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference; as well as leaders of the Nantong Rail Transit Company. Zhang Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman, and General Manager of the Group Company, and Zhong Yiming, Deputy General Manager and General Manager of the Third Branch Company, attended the ceremony as representatives of the participating construction units. The ceremony was presided over by Executive Vice Mayor Shan Xiaoming.

Grand Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for Phase I of Nantong City Metro Line 2

　　At the groundbreaking ceremony, Secretary Lu Zhipeng issued the order to commence construction. Acting Mayor Xu Huimin delivered a speech on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee and put forward three key requirements: First, all participating construction units must firmly establish a strong sense of safety, quality, and cost control; they must spare no effort to ensure top-notch quality, meticulously manage costs, and leave no room for error in safety management, so as to deliver a first-class, flagship, and high-quality project. Second, all relevant units and departments, especially the governments of the respective jurisdictions, must provide full cooperation and support for the implementation of the project, thereby creating a favorable external environment for all aspects of its progress. Third, we hope that the general public will exercise comprehensive oversight over the entire course of the project and offer all-round understanding and support, so as to build the Nantong Metro into a transparent, high-quality, and people-centered project, and to make new contributions in the new era to building a strong, prosperous, beautiful, and modern Nantong.

Zhang Xiangyang, Secretary of the Party Committee, Chairman, and General Manager of the Group Company, was invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.

　　The Phase I of Urban Rail Line 2 has a total length of 20.4 kilometers and comprises 17 stations, with 19.1 kilometers underground. The line originates at Xingfu Town Station, heads south to connect with Nantong Railway Station, then proceeds south along Beida Street after exiting the station. It crosses Jianghai Avenue, turns west onto Haoxi Road, continues south along Haoxi Road to terminate at Huanxi Cultural Square Station, and thereafter follows the Hao River southward to Sports Park Station. The line then turns east along Qingnian Road to Xianfeng Town, where Xianfeng Town Station serves as the terminus of Phase I. The section of Line 2 between Nantong East Station and Xianfeng Town is elevated, while the remainder is underground. A maintenance depot—Xingfu Vehicle Depot—is planned for the area east of Tongliu Highway in Xingfu Town, north of Chengbei Avenue, and south of the Shanghai–Shaanxi Expressway in Gangzha District, with completion and opening scheduled for 2022.

　　The Phase I project of Nantong’s Urban Rail Transit Line 2 is a key initiative of the Nantong Municipal Government and a major undertaking that will bring tangible benefits to the people. Its commencement marks a new stage in the city’s rail transit development. The implementation of this project will enable Nantong’s rail network to evolve from a single line into a comprehensive, interconnected system, fully connecting the city’s primary north–south and east–west development corridors. This will provide strong impetus for industrial transformation, urban renewal, and transportation modernization, thereby bolstering Nantong’s efforts to become the northern gateway city of the Shanghai metropolitan area and the economic hub of the northern wing of the Yangtze River Delta, and helping the city strive to fulfill its provincial mandate of “one leading force and three pioneers.”

　　The joint venture of Nantong Construction Engineering Group Co., Ltd. and China Railway Tunnel Bureau Group Co., Ltd. has successfully won the bid for Lot 04 of Section A of Phase I of Urban Rail Transit Line 2. The contract value for this project is RMB 569 million, with a tentative total construction period of 615 days. The scope of the lot includes the section from Yongda Road Station (excluding) to Yongyi Road Station to Beicheng Bridge Station—comprising two stations and two tunnel sections. Located in a bustling urban area with high population and vehicle density, the project is subject to stringent requirements for civilized construction, posing significant challenges and making it one of the most difficult segments on Line 2.

　　At present, the Third Branch of the Group Company is swiftly dispatching its most capable and experienced personnel to promptly enter the site and meticulously organize all aspects of the project. Site selection and construction planning are being concurrently implemented, fully embodying the Nantong city spirit of “inclusiveness and connectivity, daring to lead the way” and the Nantong Construction Engineering Corporation’s corporate ethos of “hard work and pioneering spirit.” By transforming pressure into motivation, the company is vigorously advancing all preparatory work for the project’s early stages.

　　More than 300 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including principal officials from the Party committees and governments of Tongzhou District, Chongchuan District, and Gangzha District; government officials in charge of urban development; relevant heads of member units of the Municipal Leading Group for Urban Rail Transit Construction; mid-level and senior management personnel of the Municipal Urban Rail Transit Co., Ltd.; as well as leaders and project managers from the design, construction, and supervision firms involved in Phase I of Metro Line 2, along with representatives of on-site construction personnel.