Line 2 of the
Beijing Subway () is a
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be ...
rail line in central Beijing that runs in a rectangular
loop around the city centre. The line traces the
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last orthodox dynasty of China ruled by the Han peo ...
inner city wall, which was demolished and paved over by the
2nd Ring Road and
Qianmen
Qianmen () is the colloquial name for Zhengyangmen (; Manchu:; Möllendorff:tob šun-i duka, literally meaning "Gate of the Zenith Sun"), a gate in Beijing's historic city wall. The gate is situated to the south of Tiananmen Square and once guar ...
Avenue. Line 2, opened in 1984, is the second oldest and one of the busiest of Beijing's subway lines and the only one to serve
Beijing railway station. All 18 stations on the line are under ground. Ten of the 18 stations offer transfers to other lines. Line 2's color is
blue
Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...
.
Hours of Operation
Because Line 2 is a loop line with no true terminus, trains are identified as either running on the ''inner loop'' (), going in the clockwise direction, or on the ''outer loop'' (), going in the counter clockwise direction. However, trains returning to the Taipinghu Depot either terminate at Xizhimen or Jishuitan; passengers are asked wait for a full loop line train at these stations.
The first inner loop train departs at 5:03am. The first outer loop train departs at 5:09am. The last inner loop train leaves Jishuitan at 10:55pm. The last outer loop train leaves Xizhimen at 11:14pm. For the official timetable, please see the Beijing Subway website.
Route
Line 2 encircles the old city center districts of
Dongcheng and
Xicheng and skirts the western edge of
Chaoyang. The entire line runs underground.
List of Stations
Eleven of Line 2's eighteen stations are named after gates in the old city wall. These stations end in ''men'', meaning gate. The twelfth gate,
Deshengmen
Deshengmen (; lit. "Gate of Virtuous Triumph") is a city gate that was once part of Beijing's northern city wall. It is one of Beijing's few preserved city gates and now stands as a landmark on the northern 2nd Ring Road. Latimer D. (2014) ''The ...
(德胜门), is near station. The following table lists Line 2 stations in the outer loop or counter clockwise order.
,
, align="left",
, 0:28
, 1.027
, 14.278
, style="text-align:center;" rowspan="4",
Dongcheng
, -
, style="background:#; color:white", 214
,
,
,
, align="left",
, 0:30
, 0.824
, 15.102
, -
, style="background:#; color:white", 215
,
,
,
, align="left",
, 0:34
, 2.228
, 17.330
, -
, style="background:#; color:white", 216
,
,
,
, align="left",
, 0:36
, 0.794
, 18.124
, -
, style="background:#; color:white", 217
,
,
,
, align="left",
, 0:38
, 1.237
, 19.361
,
Dongcheng /
Xicheng
, -
, style="background:#; color:white", 218
,
,
,
, align="left",
, 0:41
, 1.766
, 21.127
, style="text-align:center;",
Xicheng
, - style = "background:#; height: 2pt"
, colspan = "9" ,
, - bgcolor="lightgrey"
, colspan="6" style="font-size:85%; text-align:center;", — ↓ Loop line - towards
Xizhimen
Xizhimen () was a gate in the Beijing city wall and is now a transportation node in Beijing. The gate was the entrance of drinking water for the Emperor, coming from the Jade Spring Hills to the west of Beijing. The gate was demolished in 196 ...
↓ —
, 1.899
, 23.026
,
, - style = "background:#; height: 2pt"
, colspan = "9" ,
History
On September 20, 1984, the first section Line 2 opened between and . The line was a long upside down "horseshoe" along the west, north and east
2nd Ring Road, with 12 stations.
On December 28, 1987, the line was extended from the terminals of Fuxingmen and Jianguomen, connecting the line with the original section of
Line 1 between and
Beijing railway station. The completed line was called the "Beijing Subway Loop" and is long with 18 stations. Since January 2002, the line was renamed as "Line 2".
Other Facts
The rolling stock maintenance facility is located at Taipinghu, near Jishuitan station.
Rolling Stock
Current
Former
References
{{Beijing Subway Station
, line2=yes
Beijing Subway lines
Railway lines opened in 1984
1984 establishments in China
Railway loop lines
750 V DC railway electrification