350km of Subway Lines Under Construction in Beijing in 2017
By Justine Lopez
Beijing’s subways are about to get a whole lot better – and a whole lot bigger. According to Beijing authorities, over 20 subway lines (or sections of lines) will be under construction in 2017. In total, over 350 kilometers of new subway lines will be worked on this year.
We don’t know about you but the future of Beijing’s subway is looking brighter, especially for those of us who commute on it on a daily basis.
Ground will likely break on two new lines this year, the highly-anticipated 6.5-kilometer CBD line (Line 28) and the 6.1-kilometer portion of the Yangfang line, Xinhua reports. When it opens, the latter will be the first driverless subway in China.
According to one Beijing subway designer, Line 28 will have eight stops and will extend across the CBD from north to south. Although the locations of the stations have not all been finalized, the beginning and end points have been established, China Daily reports. The line will start from Dongdaqiao station in the north, which is also a transfer station to lines 6 and 17 (still under construction). The new line will end at Jiulongshan station, which acts as a transfer station for lines 7 and 14. There are plans for one of the eight stations to be located at Beijing East Railway Station.
Line 28 should be operational by 2020.
If you want more immediate gratification, there are plans for three new lines to start operating in 2017. These include the Yanfang line, Xijiao line and S1 line.