New subway line to Daxing airport opens
A new subway line connecting downtown Beijing with Beijing Daxing International Airport opened on Thursday, one day after the new airport's official opening.
Stretching 41.4 kilometers, the subway line can operate on an autopilot system and runs at a speed of 160 kilometers per hour, carrying as many as 448 passengers for one trip.
The new subway train connects downtown Beijing with Beijing Daxing International Airport. /VCG Photo
The line has three stations, namely Caoqiao, Daxing Xincheng and Daxing Airport. Caoqiao is also the transfer station for subway line 10 and the Daxing Airport Express.
A trip from Caoqiao station to the new airport takes only 19 minutes, and passengers can complete check-ins, security checks and baggage check-ins when they get off the train at the Daxing Airport subway station.
Daxing Xincheng Station of the new subway line that connects downtown Beijing with the new Daxing International Airport. /VCG Photo
The standard ticket costs 35 yuan (4.9 U.S. dollars) and 50 yuan (7 U.S. dollars) for a business cabin. The line is also part of an integrated transport network that will combine subways, expressways, intercity rail and high-speed rail with the airport at the center.Beijing Daxing International Airport, located 46 kilometers south of downtown Beijing, is constructed to take pressure off the overcrowded Beijing Capital International Airport in the northeastern suburbs. It sits at the junction of Beijing's Daxing District and Langfang, a city in neighboring Hebei Province.
Beijing on Thursday launched part of a high-speed intercity rail service to link the downtown areas with its new airport.
Intercity rail service to new airport launched
Beijing on Thursday launched part of a high-speed intercity rail service to link the downtown areas with its new airport. A total of 12 pairs of trains now run daily on the Beijing section, according to the China Railway Beijing Group Co. Ltd.
The first train departs at 6:56 a.m. from Beijing West Railway Station every day, and the last one leaves the airport station at 10:50 p.m.
Passengers can take high-speed trains from the railway station in the downtown area of Beijing directly to the city's new airport, with the shortest commuting time at 28 minutes.
Check-in services at the new aviation hub are located within 100 meters of the railway station exit, said Zhu Hongfeng, who is responsible for the intercity railway program of the China Railway Design Corporation.
The intercity train from Beijing West Railway Station to Daxing International Airport. /VCG Photo
The railway line will also offer passengers e-ticket options, which enables them to enter the station by scanning QR codes, said Chen Liyang, team leader of the Daxing airport station preparation group with China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd.
With a total length of more than 92 kilometers, the newly-built intercity railway line consists of two sections. Apart from the newly-operational one between Liying Station in Daxing District and the new airport, the section linking the airport with Xiongan New Area is set to be put into operation by the end of 2020. The trains run on the existing Beijing-Kowloon Railway between Beijing West Railway Station and Liying Station.
The intercity railway line, together with several urban rail lines and expressways, will connect the airport with the city center, said the authorities.
(Cover: The Daxing Airport subway station. /VCG Photo)