Yanfang Line of the

Beijing Subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Municipality that consists of 25 lines including 20 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and 2 light rail lines, and 463 stations. The rail network extends acro ...

() 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 ...

line in

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. It was opened on December 30, 2017.

History

Construction of the Yanfang Line was scheduled to commence in September 2011 and be completed by 2013. On October 17, 2011, the Ministry of Environmental Protection declined to approve plans for the line citing lack of approval for the project from the

National Development and Reform Commission The National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China (NDRC), formerly State Planning Commission and State Development Planning Commission, is a macroeconomic management agency under the State Council, which has b ...

and uncertain

environmental impact Environmental issues are effects of human activity on the biophysical environment, most often of which are harmful effects that cause environmental degradation. Environmental protection is the practice of protecting the natural environment on t ...

of the line on the South–North Water Transfer Project which has a channel and reservoir in Fangshan District. As a result, the onset of construction was delayed to at least the end of 2013. Construction on Yanfang Line was started in April 2014. The line was scheduled to open in 2017. The line opened on December 30, 2017.

Route

The line is projected to be Y-shaped, with the main line starting at and the branch line starting at Zhoukoudian Town. The two will merge at before terminating at . Currently only the main line is operational, while the branch line is under planning.

Stations

Rolling Stock

Technology

The line is the first in Beijing to be capable of unattended train operations, and the first in China to exclusively use subsystems developed by domestic manufacturers.

Future Development

The branch line of Yanfang line, from Raolefu station to Zhoukoudian Town station is under planning. Due to low passenger flow, the branch line will not be built in the short-term planning. In addition, Beijing Subway is evaluating the possibile merge with the Fangshan line.

References

{{Beijing Subway Station , Yanfang=yes Beijing Subway lines Railway lines opened in 2017 2017 establishments in China 750 V DC railway electrification