Beijing Subway Adds Three New Line Sections Moving into New Year

2024 is bringing with it a few more numbers tacked on to Beijing, and all three pertain to subway lines or extensions of existing lines – 11, 16, and 17.

On the west side of the city, there are Lines 11 and 16. The former has been extended via its remaining western section. The new section runs from Jin’anqiao to Moshikou Station in the north, not all too far, so this is one of the least significant updates. Much more impressive is Line 16, the full extent of which has been opened.

Line 11 has been extended one station north to Moshikou

Line 16 runs from Bei’anhe in the west, turning south and around to the west again making a backward crescent before reaching Wanpingcheng in the west again. It’s essentially a line connecting the outer reaches of Haidian and Fengtai to the city center – not a bad connection.

Moving to the east side of town, there’s Line 17, or at least the northern half of the line. Running from Weilaikexuecheng Bei (Future Science City North) in Changping to Gongrentiyuchang (Workers’ Stadium) Station.

Even though there’s a yet to be finished middle section that will run from Workers’ Stadium south to Shilihe, from which it will connect to Line 17 South, the north section is still pretty significant. For one, it’ll have two major transfer points, one at Wangjing Xi (connecting to Line 13 and 15), and another at Tiantongyuan Dong, which will in the future be a transfer for Line 13A (more on that below).

A highlight of Line 17 North is Workers' Stadium Station

Per a survey conducted by WeChat account Changping Zao Zhidao (昌平早知道), over 40 percent of readers polled said the opening of Wangjing Xi was the most important concern for them in regards to Line 17. The opening of the line’s middle section (let’s call it Line 17 Mid) comes a close second, at over 36 percent. Unfortunately, while Wangjing Xi is expected to open sometime soon, the middle section will take a bit longer. The report explains as of 2023 there’s been no official update on Line 17 Mid, speculating it could open as late as 2025.

The western section of Line 1 will be extended south and west with a branch line

Line 17 Mid joins a few other line extensions that’ll be opening in the future. One is  the Line 1 Branch Line, which will see an extension of ten stations running from Bajiao Aumesement Park Station to Fengtai and Shijingshan by 2027. The other is Line 6 South, which will see a new station – Dongxiaoying Nan – constructed past Lucheng with plans to extend the line further south to “improve transportation functions of the city sub-center [aka Tongzhou]”, per WeChat account Zuiai Da Beijing (最爱大北京).

Then there’s Line 13A, which straddles the gap between the extension of Line 13 – soon to be Line 13B – and a new line altogether. 13A will run east to west through Haidian, Changping, and Chaoyang districts. The line will connect to 13B with a transfer at Xinlongze Station.

Line 13A will connect to the old Line 13 at Xinlongze Station

Speaking of new lines, there are plenty of those on the way as well. These include the M101 Line, which will run northwest to southeast through Tongzhou; Line 12, running east to west through Changping; Line 22, aka the Pinggu Line; Line 28, the CBD line; and finally, Line 3.

Of these, the most interesting are Lines 22 and 28. The former is a behemoth of a project stretching from Dongdaqiao and briefly cutting through Hebei province before terminating in Pinggu district. It’s not only massive but will also feature special express trains as well. The latter, Line 28, is much shorter. The CBD line consists of nine stations running from Dongdaqiao to Guangxiudonglu, with the line essentially connecting Guomao to Baiziwan and Shuangjing in an effort to ease traffic congestion on daily commutes.

The shortest line out of the list is Line 28, which essentially connects Shuangjing with the CBD

The very last, but not least, of all these lines is Line 3 – which has essentially been in the works since plans were drawn up for it in the 1970s. Dongsishitiao Station was closed this past November to allow for work on renovating the transfer station from Line 2 to 3, which was constructed in anticipation of the latter’s completion way back in the ‘80s.

Now, it seems, the time for Line 3 has finally come, with Changping Zao Zhidao and other sources saying it will be up and running before National Day this year. How’s that for a nice end-of-year present?

Beijing's subway map as of the new year

Which of the new lines and extensions have you made use of thus far? Which line openings are you most looking forward to? Let us know in the comments!

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Images:Uni You, 最爱大北京

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