Beijing Subway

[59] In November 1975, by order of the State Council and Central Military Commission the bureau was placed under the authority of Beijing Municipal Transportation Department.

The route of the initial line was shifted westward to create an underground conduit to move personnel from the heart of the capital to the Western Hills.

[84] Construction began on July 1, 1965, at a groundbreaking ceremony attended by several national leaders including Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping, and Beijing mayor Peng Zhen.

[86] The initial line was completed and began trial operations in time to mark the 20th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic on October 1, 1969.

[84] Premier Zhou Enlai placed the subway under the control of the People's Liberation Army in early 1970, but reliability problems persisted.

[84] On January 15, 1971, the initial line began operation on a trial basis between the Beijing railway station and Gongzhufen.

[88] Single ride fare was set at ¥0.10 and only members of the public with credential letters from their work units could purchase tickets.

[88] The line was 10.7 km (6.6 mi) in length, had 10 stations and operated more than 60 train trips per day with a minimum wait time of 14 minutes.

[88] Despite its return to civilian control in 1976, the subway remained prone to closures due to fires, flooding, and accidents.

[90] On September 15, 1981, the initial line passed its final inspections, and was handed over to the Beijing Subway Company, ending a decade of trial operations.

[92] National leaders Wen Jiabao, Jia Qinglin, Yu Zhengsheng and mayor Liu Qi were on hand to mark the occasion.

The lower fare policy caused the Beijing Subway to run a deficit of ¥600 million in 2007, which was expected to widen to ¥1 billion in 2008.

Stations are outfitted with touch screen vending machines that sell single-ride tickets and multiple-ride Yikatong fare cards.

[117] In the same year, the Beijing government unveiled an ambitious expansion plan envisioning the subway network to reach a track density of 0.51 km per km2 (0.82 mi per sq.

[119] Retroactively implying that the original three ring, four horizontal, five vertical and seven radial plan was part of Phase I expansion.

[124] On the same day, the first section of Line 14 from Zhangguozhuang to Xiju also entered operation, ahead of the opening of the Ninth China International Garden Expo in Fengtai District.

[132] In 2014, Beijing planning authorities assessed mass transit monorail lines for areas of the city in which subway construction or operation is difficult.

[134][135] According to the initial environmental assessment report by the Chinese Academy of Rail Sciences, the Yuquanlu Line was planned to have 21 stations over 25 km (16 mi) in western Beijing.

[134] The Dongsihuan Line (named for the Eastern Fourth Ring Road it was to follow) was planned to have 21 stations over 33.7 km (20.9 mi).

[137][135] In early 2015, plans for both monorail lines were shelved indefinitely, due to low capacity and resident opposition.

[130] With the near completion of the three ring, four horizontal, five vertical and seven radial subway network, work began on Phase II expansion projects.

[149] To control the spread of COVID-19, certain Line 6 trains were outfitted with smart surveillance cameras that can detect passengers not wearing masks.

[170] In 2013, China Resources Vanguard and FamilyMart expressed interest in opening convenience stores in the Beijing Subway but this never materialized.

[170] In December 2020, "the deployment of 130 convenient service facilities at subway stations" was listed as a key project for the Beijing municipal government.

According to the translation standard released in December 2017, station names of rail transit and public transport have to follow the laws.

Town) changed to Hanyu Pinyin only (The new station names are Shahe Gaojiaoyuan, Shengming Kexueyuan and Liangxiang Daxuecheng).

[185] In short term response, the subway upgraded electrical, signal and yard equipment to increase the frequency of trains to add additional capacity.

[202] By January 7, 2013, 41 stations on Lines 1, 2, 5, 13, Batong, and Changping had instituted passenger flow restrictions during the morning rush hour.

[212] To ensure public safety during the 2008 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games, the subway initiated a three-month heightened security program from June 29 to September 20, 2008.

[215] The subway was plagued by numerous accidents in its early years, including a fire in 1969 that killed six people and injured over 200.

Schematic map of Beijing Subway lines in operation. (Not to scale)
A map showing Beijing subway lines currently in operation ( solid lines ) and subway lines approved by the NDRC ( dashed lines ). The map is not drawn to scale.
Subway rolling stock are maintained at depots such as the Wuliqiao Depot for Line 6.
Schema showing the development of the Beijing Subway from 1971 to 2018
Yuquanlu Station, Opened on August 5, 1971. The first phase of the Beijing subway project groundbreaking ceremony was held west of Yuquanlu Road.
Many areas of Beijing's city walls were torn down during the construction of the subway. The route of the initial subway line was slightly altered to save the Qianmen gate.
Satellite image of the construction of initial line shot by US spy satellite Corona KH-4B on September 20, 1967.
Paper tickets for Lines 1 & 2
Entrance to the Wangfujing Station on Line 1. The Wangfujing station opened in 1999 as part of Line 1's eastward extension from Fuxingmen.
Beijing Television interviewed subway officials on December 30, 2012, when over 40 new stations were opened, and the subway temporarily surpassed the Shanghai Metro to be the longest in the world, only to be surpassed by Shanghai again a year later.
Beijing Subway network during the 2008 Summer and 2022 Winter Olympic Games
Recording of announcement on Line 4 train requiring all passengers to wear masks on March 23, 2020.
New wayfinding to Line 13
Wheelchair space in Beijing Subway
On July 25, 2021, Lawson opened a store in the paid area of Hepingli Beijie Station.
Station sign at Xinshougang (Shougang Park) station . (January 2022)
A crowded transfer corridor on Line 10.
The articulated cars of Line 5 trains have greater carrying capacity.
At Wangjing West , an interchange station for Lines 13 and 15, passengers transferring between the two lines must pass through a lengthy transfer corridor that includes a pedestrian footbridge.
Since the 2008 Olympics, security checks of riders and bags have become mandatory on the Beijing Subway.
The logo of the Beijing Subway contains the subway's abbreviation, B.G.D.
A decommissioned Line 1 car in the Beijing Subway Culture Park