Line 1 of the Guangzhou Metro runs from Xilang to Guangzhou East Railway Station. Apart from Kengkou and Xilang, all stations in Line 1 are underground. The first section, from Xilang to Huangsha, opened on 28 June 1997, making Guangzhou the fourth city in mainland China to have a metro system. Construction took a total of 66 months. The total investment is 12.2616 billion yuan with an average cost per kilometer of 662.9 million yuan. The full line started operation on 28 June 1999. Line 1 is coloured yellow.

Line 3 of the Guangzhou Metro is a 65.43-kilometer (40.66 mi) rapid transit line connects Panyu Square to Tianhe Coach Terminal. The entire line, including all track and stations, is located in tunnels. Its 57.93 km (36.00 mi) main branch, excluding the 7.5 km (4.66 mi) branch between Tianhe Coach Terminal and Tiyu Xilu, is now the third longest continuous subway tunnel in the world, and the longest rail tunnel of any kind.