A boy and his mother enjoy the inaugural ride on a new metro line in Wuhan on Jan 2. [Photo/cjn.cn]

The second phase of Wuhan Metro Line 8 and the Gedian section of Line 11 were put into operation on Jan 2 in Wuhan, the capital city of Central China's Hubei province.

The Gedian section of Wuhan Metro Line 11's phase-three development is the first metro line connecting Wuhan to Ezhou city. It is the third cross-city subway line in China and has made Ezhou the second city with a metro line in Hubei.

The total length of the Gedian section of Line 11's third phase is 3.7 kilometers. It is connected with Line 11 and is a major route traveling from Optics Valley Railway Station to Gedian South Station.

The one-way travel time on the new route is 32 minutes, and the minimum interval between stations is 8.6 minutes.

Meanwhile, Line 8's second phase is a crucial passenger transport corridor across the Yangtze River and the city's six lakes. Its opening helps alleviate the congestion in the southern Yangtze River area and accelerates the formation of the main urban rail network and improves urban functions.