Authorities in Shanghai and Jiangsu are talking about the possibility of extending Metro Line 11 to Taicang City from Jiading District, the first time a subway in Shanghai would link to another city, a newspaper reported today.

Taicang City has allocated 2,310 square kilometers of land in Ludu County for construction, Shanghai Morning Post said, citing Xie Ming, mayor of Taicang in Jiangsu.

Xie made the remarks at the 2008 Shanghai Metro Forum held in Taicang yesterday.

A preliminary plan has Line 11 adding three stations in Taicang. The terminus of Line 11 will be built in Ludu, the report said.

The line will also connect with subway lines to be built in Taicang, the report added.

The plan has been "supported" by the Development and Research Center of the State Council as well as the Jiangsu Development and Reform Committee, said the report.

The extension of the line should lengthen the distance between stations from two to four kilometers and accelerate the speed to more than 100 kilometers per hour because there will be fewer passengers at stations in the cities' rural areas, said Zhou Yimin, deputy director of the urban metro department of China Communications and Transportation Association.

Most subway stations in Shanghai are about one kilometer apart and have a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

Taicang is 10 kilometers away from Jiading and is famous for its crushed dried pork products.

(Shanghai Daily May 26, 2008)