In 2014, average daily ridership exceeded 500,000 people,[4] with over 1 million passengers using the line on 20 July 2018, setting a new record.

In 2006 the line was redesigned to a subway with more frequent stops but still was an orbital route roughly following the Pingnan railway.

[9] The number of stations was reduced from 29 to 26 when the line was cut back from Grand Theater to Huangbeiling due to Grand Theater Station being planned to be an interchange between three other lines, making construction difficult.

Construction of Line 5 started on 21 December 2007 with an additional station, Shangshuijing, added to the design.

[9] On 6 April 2015, a southern extension towards Chiwan station broke ground.

[7] The environmental assessment of the section was carried out on February 25, 2019, to restart the project and improve capacity in the area.