Beijing preps for full operation of new metro line

A subway train prepares for a test run in the Xiejiacun metro depot, Changping district, Beijing, July 12, 2023. (Photo by Yu Xiaoming/chinadaily.com.cn)

The northern section of the Beijing Metro Line 17 has started its debugging, and it is expected to go into no-load operation in the third quarter and become operational by the end of this year.

With a total length of 49.97 kilometers and 21 stations, Beijing Metro Line 17 is fully underground and runs through four districts: Dongcheng, Chaoyang, Changping and Tongzhou.

The southern section of Line 17 went into operation at the end of 2021. The northern section spans 26.3 kilometers and has 10 stations. With eight-car type A trainsets, maximum speed can reach 100 kilometers per hour.

As the new line goes into operation, it is expected to ease passenger traffic pressure from Lines 5 and 13, further improving rail transit service in the Future Science City area, Huilongguan and Tiantongyuan neighborhoods in Changping district.

This year, Beijing will continue construction on 11 rail transit lines with total length of 231.3 kilometers, said Yang Liming, director of the No 1 department of rail transit under the Beijing Major Projects Construction Headquarters Office.

As the northern section of Line 17 and the remainder of Line 16 go into operation, Beijing's metro network will exceed 837 kilometers in length by the end of this year.