"We are living in the best times for metro construction," said Zhang Zhiliang, chief engineer of the Guangzhou Metro in an interview with Guangzhou Daily on July 6, recollecting his experiences in metro construction during the reform and opening up.

Zhang has witnessed the construction and technology management of all 13 metro lines since 1994.

"Metro line 1 was deemed the largest urban construction project since Guangzhou opened up to the outside world as a treaty port in 1843. Top engineering professionals came to Guangzhou for technical support. Many people from an engineering background wished to have such opportunities," said Zhuang. But he also noted that many challenges emerged during construction.

One challenge is the complex geography. Under harsh natural conditions, the engineering unit tried all sorts of methods for tackling obstacles while avoiding potential risks.

Social and government support has also played a vital role in Guangzhou metro construction. The Guangzhou government put forward its long-term metro construction program. "We spent decades preparing before starting the metro line 1 program. Now, with so many metro lines under construction, I think it's indeed a golden age for metro construction," said Zhang.

The earliest efforts to build metros date back to 1958. In the six decades that followed, Guangzhou built 13 metro lines, which served 7.67 million passengers in 2017. According to statistics from the Community of Metros (CoMET), the Guangzhou Metro ranks number one in passenger capacity utilization rate among 34 major world metros in 2016.

Zhang Zhiliang is invited for an interview on July 6. [Photo/gzdaily.dayoo.com]