Owned and operated by Wuhan Metro Group Co., Ltd., the network now includes 12 lines, 312 stations, and 518 kilometres of track length.

With 1.35 billion annual passengers in 2023, Wuhan Metro is the sixth-busiest rapid transit system in mainland China.

Preliminary studies of urban rail transit systems were prompted by the city shortly after a Belgian Railways delegation visit in 1984.

[citation needed] In September 1992, the Wuhan Metro Construction Group was established by Wuhan Municipal Construction Commission and a supervision group, led by the mayor Qian Yunlu, was subsequently formed in 1993 to facilitate the project's funding, planning, logistics, and organization.

[citation needed] In October 1999, the National Planning Commission (predecessor of the National Development and Reform Commission) approved the Wuhan "Light Rail" project (Line 1, phase 1), signalling the start of serious work on the rail transit project.

[citation needed] In December 2000, the National Planning Commission accepted a feasibility report on the project and approved construction on phase 1 of Line 1.

On July 28, 2004, the ten-station long "light rail" line was opened to the public and entered revenue service in August.

However, low ridership discouraged the city from funding the extension project, for which ground had been broken on December 15, 2005, and a 4-year delay in construction ensued.

[citation needed] In the interim, construction began on Fanhu station of the fully underground Line 2 on November 16, 2006, as a response to the six-year plan adopted by NDRC earlier.

[citation needed] In May 2007, the Hubei Provincial Development and Reform Commission (HDRC) approved preliminary designs on Line 1, phase 2, and comprehensive construction subsequently commenced in June.

[citation needed] On September 12, 2007, the NDRC accepted the feasibility report to Line 2, phase 1, and preliminary designs were approved by the HDRC in December 2007.

A more ambitious urban rapid transit plan was submitted for NDRC review in October 2009, and in late November, on-site panel investigations were conducted by China International Engineering Consulting Corporation.

[citation needed] In February 2010, Wuhan Metro's first commercial property was topped out in Hanxi 1st Road station.

Despite plans to extend the westernmost terminus to Jinshan Avenue in Dongxihu District, the station was never built.

Zhuyehai, a station in Qiaokou District, remained non-operational in spite of the existence of complete platforms.

Seven days later, Line 2 entered revenue service, connecting some of the most populated areas of Hankou, Wuchang, and the Optics Valley.

On April 12, 2013, the NDRC granted acceptance to a feasibility report of Line 8, phase 1, which connects Hankou and Wuchang via the Second Yangtze River Bridge corridor.

[citation needed] On 23 January 2020, the entire metro network was shut down, along with all other public transport in the city, including national railway and air travel, in an effort to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei.

Line 1 operates 33 four-car train sets, 12 of which are manufactured by Changchun Railway Vehicles, and 21 by Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd.

[26] The phase 3 expansion, which extends the northeast terminus to Hankou North Station, entered revenue service on May 28, 2014.

Line 1's color is blue.Line 2 is a 27.895 km (17.333 mi) underground subway connecting the boroughs of Hankou and Wuchang.

The southern extension brought the southeast terminus from Optics Valley Square to Fozuling, and the northwest extension plan brought the northwest terminus from Jinyintan to Tianhe International Airport, providing convenient access for airport and residential areas en route.

Overall construction of Line 3 was approved by National Development and Reform Commission on February 23, 2012,[32] and officially started on March 31, 2012.

The line in its current form runs from Houhu Boulevard to Jintai, a total distance of 34.575 km (21.484 mi).

[37] Most passagers enter and exit the system using a proximity card called Wuhan Tong, which is available at all metro stations.

Wuhan was the first city on the Chinese mainland to ban food and drinks on the subway on December 28, 2013, dishing out fines of up to RMB200.

On 1 April 2020, a nationwide food ban was enacted, which also includes conduct rules cracking down on bad subway etiquette, such as stepping on seats, lying down on a bench or floor and playing music or videos out loud.

A fully automated, driverless train system (GoA4), provided by Traffic Control Technology Corporation Limited, has been applied to Line 5 since 26 December 2021.

The stations are equipped with non-slippery flooring with grip-rails, audio announcements and Braille facilities to help visually challenged passengers.