Seven new lines will join the ranks of Beijing urban rail transit system by the end of this year. Yesterday, Changping Line (phase one), an aboveground rail line connecting Nanshao, Changping District and Xierqi, Haidian District, successfully held a trial run. The one way trip took about 40 minutes.
Today’s Beijing Times has an article detailing the features of the new line. According to the paper, the longer distance between stations allows Changping Line to operate at maximum speed of 80 km/h, twice as fast as Beijing subway lines’ top speed of 40 km/h. Once put into operation, the line will be the fastest of all of the city’s urban rail lines. The low urban development level in the area around the line also enables each station to have a supporting car park with capacity varying from 100 to 200. In addition, new noise-reducing technology will provide passengers with a quieter environment.
- Beijing Times (Chinese): Beijing subway Changping line got its first trial run