A panda-themed train debuted on Sunday, July 31st, in southwest China's Sichuan Province, home of the beloved black and white bears.
The train ran from Taipingyuan stop at 8:30 am on Sunday, marking the debut of subway line 3 in Chengdu city. This is the world’s first panda-themed subway line, decorated by panda elements. The carriages have panda-heads shaped handles, while the pole grips are painted to resemble bamboo. Seats and walls are decorated with panda patterns and pink bear footprints speckle the floor. Furthermore, the voice of announcement is recorded by a child with cute voice.
The trains are operated from 6:30am to 10:50pm every day, charging passengers according to their travel distances. The line 3 has 17 stops in total with 2 yuan ($0.3) base rate, covering 20.3km. The maximum cost is only 4 yuan. Also, the operation hours will be adjusted based on the passenger flows. Subway line 3, running through the urban center, will shorten the commuters' one-way travel time to 34 minutes. However, it will face an upcoming traffic burden, approximately 400,000 daily passenger flows.