Zhengzhou subway Photo: VCG

 
Subway in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, will resume operation next week after a long suspension due to downpour-caused inundations and a COVID-19 outbreak.

Line 1 and part of Line 2 will resume services on Sunday while the other lines, including Line 5 where a deadly inundation happened on July 20, will reopen to passengers on September 15, according to local government's WeChat account. 

Line 14 will not resume operation as its facilities need to be replaced. 

After heavy rains hit the city, its subway system was paralyzed and a train was trapped at a tunnel on route of Line 5, which caused 14 deaths in total. 

The subway operator deployed 3,000 personnel to drain the floodwater and repair the facilities. All lines resumed no-load operation on August 19. Transportation authorities commissioned a third-party to evaluate safety of the lines and allowed resumption of services. 

After the floods, a COVID-19 outbreak emerged in the city, which was believed to have postponed the pace of resuming subway operation. The outbreak started from a medical staff at a local hospital designated for imported COVID-19 patients. From July 30 to August 15, 139 infections were reported in Zhengzhou. 

Global Times