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Amid a record heat wave, metro stations in Chengdu the capital city of China’s Sichuan province have dimmed their lights to save electricity.
The rail system of southwestern city of Chengdu started operating on « power-saving » mode on Wednesday, activating low-power lights and regulating temperatures in stations and train compartments, its operator said in a statement, without specifying how long the measures would last, reported CNN.
The city is home to about 21 million people and the move to dim lights in the Chengdu subway has left travellers in partial darkness.
Photos circulated on social media showed commuters waiting for trains on dimly lit platforms and transiting through darkened stations — a sharp contrast to the bright fluorescent lighting and illuminated advertising typical of China’s public transport stations.
The energy-saving measures are among many being rolled out amid a power shortage caused by China’s fiercest regional heat wave in six decades.
Sizzling temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) have hit dozens of cities across parts of southwest, central and eastern China, and surging demand for air conditioning is putting pressure on the power grid.
The power crisis has been compounded by a drought, as depleted water levels in the Yangtze River, one of China’s most commercially important waterways, and connected water bodies, have reduced the amount of electricity produced at hydropower plants, reported CNN.
