Get to New Beijing Airport in Just 11 Minutes, Xiong'an in 30
Beijing's new airport will be serviced by nothing less than a high-speed train to shuttle commuters from the city in just 11 minutes.
A Wednesday morning ceremony marked the official beginning of constructing the new railway line that will also connect with Beijing's newest satellite city, Xiong'an, allowing passengers to make commutes in just half an hour.
Service on the 46km-long stretch between Beijing and the as-yet still unofficially named New Beijing Airport will reach speeds of 250 kilometers per hour, and then increase to 350 kilometers per hour for the remaining distance to Xiong'an.
As fast as these times are, actually getting to the new railway line may be a problem for commuters.
Travelers wishing to take the express train to the New Beijing Airport will first have to get to Liying Station, a point of departure that, although close, is still a fair distance away from Beijing West Railway Station (to the north) or Huangcun Station on Line 10 (to the southeast).
At the present, the new high-speed express line will make stops at Liying, Daxing, the new airport, Bazhou, and finally Xiong'an.
READ: China on Course for Full 5G Rollout, Includes Beijing Satellite City Xiong'an as Pilot City
The new line is an expansion of a previously announced express line that would connect Liying Station with New Beijing Airport. Previous plans included a stop at Huangcun Station.
The 33.5 billion yuan railway is scheduled to begin operations on the Beijing-New Beijing Airport corridor by September 2019, a month before the new airport is set to open. The New Beijing Airport-Xiong'an section of the railway will open at the end of 2020.
Wednesday's ceremony featured the officials who planned the railway, the workers who will build it, and machines wrapped in red ribbons.
Photo: CE.cn, China Daily (via Weibo.com)
Top Stories This Week:
Beijingers Are Buzzing About: