Are you ready for the Metro? It's coming soon ... journalists got a sneak peak at the Tianfu Square and Sichuan Stadium stations recently, and they have the photos to prove it.

From CD QQ:

The Tianfu Square subway station is already in the final stages of construction and will be opened to the public as early as next month, said a spokesperson for the Chengdu Metro Corporation.

As the interchange station for Chengdu Metro lines 1 and 2, the station will be a central hub for city transportation, and, at 31,000 square meters, it will also be the largest subway station in all of China. The four levels of the station extend 30 meters below ground at their lowest point. The station will have eight exits.

Windowed floors and ceilings will be employed to allow natural light to filter down to even the lowest level of the station.

According to the spokesperson, the station takes it design cue from the West Shu culture, featuring various representations of the Sun God Bird insignia and other symbols significant to the city. Due to its flowing nature—a symbol for the flow of traffic, said the spokesperson—water has also been chosen as a design inspiration for the station.

Line 1 has been assigned the color blue, and a fine blue line runs around the walls of the station so that passengers will know at a glance which line they're about to board.

Meanwhile, at the Sichuan Gymnasium station, the Olympic rings have been chosen as a motif to decorate the walls.

With fire prevention in mind, the interiors of the subway stations have been completed without any wood. Additionally, the stations employ energy-saving technology to regulate the air temperature.

In related news, a three-hour hearing was held on Friday morning to discuss the fare scheme for the subway. Among 25 shareholders, 18 were in favor of a zone ticketing scheme rather than the alternately proposed RMB2 flat rate.

The subway expects to operate at a loss of 620 million yuan per year initially. Those in favor of the zoning scheme argued that, as a corporation, the Chengdu Metro Company should be financially self-sustaining rather than rely on government subsidy.

But Beijing's subway relies on a flat fare, and four representatives argued that Chengdu's should as well, in order to be accessible and appealing to all.

Apart from ridership fees, the Chengdu Metro will generate income by renting out over 5,000 square meters of shop space and selling advertising space on tickets, in the vehicles, and in the stations. It is expected that these avenues will generate approximately RMB38 million in revenue per year.

Also under consideration is a monthly pass that offers discounts to frequent riders as well as students and seniors. The final fee schedule will be announced prior to October, when the Metro will begin operation.

Additional image credit.

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