Airport Express
From Beijingology
| Airport Express (Airport Beijing City (ABC)) Jichang Kuaigui (Jichang Xian) 机场快轨 (机场线) 機場快軌 (機場綫) Also known as "Airport Line" | |
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| Number of Stations | 4 |
| Color | Faded Dark Purple |
| Length | 28.1 km |
| Interchange Stations (total: 2; all currently in use) | Dongzhimen (Lines 2 and 13) Sanyuanqiao (Line 10) |
| Termini | Beijing Capital International Airport (northeastern terminus) Dongzhimen (southwestern terminus) |
| Depots | Tianzhu Depot |
| First Service | () |
| Last Service | () |
| Coverage | Dongzhimen to Capital Airport |
| Rolling Stock | Bombardier |
| Journeys | |
| Year Opened / Last Extension | July 19, 2008 |
| Notes | |
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The Airport Express line of the Beijing Subway opened on July 19, 2008 and links central Beijing with the airport. The line is also known as Airport Beijing City (ABC); in general projection plans, however, the line also goes by the name Line L1 (light rail line 1).
The line has only four stops along the entire line. Two stops are in Central Beijing -- Dongzhimen (interchange with Lines 2 and 13) and Sanyuanqiao (interchange with Line 10 -- with the two remaining stops at Beijing Capital International Airport. The Airport Express reaches Terminal 3 before reaching Terminal 2; passengers for Terminal 1 need to use the transfer passageway at Terminal 2.
Fares on the Airport Express are CNY 25. The Airport Express does not use the city network's CNY 2 fare system for unlimited mileage.
Service intervals are 15 minutes to start with and the entire trip takes around 16 minutes from Terminal 3 or 25 minutes from Terminal 2.
The new subway line is a CBTC driverless system provided by a consortium ALSTOM/CASCO.
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History
When Subway Line 13 was built, an interchange station was built at Wangjing West Subway Station for an eventual link via Wangjing to the airport. However, after readjustments in the plans, a separate, dedicated and much faster line was built with only 4 stops overall.
The initial plan was for the Airport Express to be a direct connection between Dongzhimen and the airport with no stop. However, Sanyuanqiao was later added as a transfer point to Subway Line 10. (Previously, Line 10 stopped at Maizidianxijie Subway Station, just missing the present-day Sanyuanqiao Airport Express station.) The Airport Express will not have interchange options with the future Line 14, which crosses the Airport Expressway and surrounding National Highways just south of Dashanzi.
The Airport Express was designed to do either a full loop (which it does at present, running from Dongzhimen via Sanyuanqiao through the airport terminals -- T3 then T2 -- and then back to central Beijing), or to run direction to one specific terminal without serving the other (which has been pre-programmed technically but is presently not implemented).
Stations
- Dongzhimen Subway Station (interchange with Subway Lines 2 and 13)
- Sanyuanqiao Subway Station (interchange with Subway Line 10)
- Beijing Capital International Airport (Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 stations, in that order)
Interchanges
All central Beijing stations are interchange stations with the rest of the Beijing Subway network.
Dongzhimen
The interchange at Dongzhimen sees the Airport Express at equal distance with both Line 2 and Line 13. Transfer passageways are used, but normal transfers are merely three to four minutes in length maximum.
For optimized transfers, different passageways are used. Passengers bound for Line 2 turn left at the station upon exiting the Airport Express; those for Line 13 turn right and head up escalators. The interchange is designed so that if a passenger bound for Line 13 heads by mistake into the Line 2 part, he or she can still use the Line 2 interchange to head for Line 13.
To exit the station altogether from the Airport Express part of Dongzhimen station, once you leave the platform, continue upstairs instead of turning left and entering the Subway network farezone.
Sanyuanqiao
- Interchange with Line 10
The interchange at Sanyuanqiao has a very short transfer passageway between the Airport Express and Line 10. The passageway lies outside the fare area.
Fares
The uniform fare of CNY 2 across all subway lines does not apply to the Airport Express; a one-way fare costs CNY 25. Passengers transferring from Lines 2, 10 and 13 must touch out of the existing Subway system before allowed into the Airport Express fare system. The CNY 25 fare does not grant riders access to the rest of the Beijing Subway network, which requires a separate CNY 2 network ticket.
Users of the Beijing Super Pass touch both in and out of the system to ride the Airport Express. Users of Single Journey Tickets touch in once at the start of the journey to validate their tickets, then insert the ticket upon exiting the Airport Express station, where they may then exit the station altogether or transfer to urban lines in the CNY 2 Beijing Subway fare network.
Airport Express tickets are only sold at Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao stations, as well as at all airport stops. Both manual point of sales and ticket machines are available, although only banknotes (excluding CNY 1 notes) are accepted. For faster access to the system, a Beijing Super Pass is recommended.
Service Frequency
In 2006 plans, the minimum gap between trains was to be 5 minutes (with a future shortening down to 4 minutes); however, upon opening of the Airport Express, gaps unexpectedly became three times the planned length. Currently, the minimum service interval is 15 minutes throughout the day. Late 2009 sees gaps down to 10 minutes per train. By around 2010, gaps will be cut down massively to 5 minutes. The 2017 plans envision an Airport Express with gaps no more than 4 minutes between trains.
Travel Times and Distances
| Stations (Central Beijing to Airport) | Time | Distance | Stations (Airport to Central Beijing) | Time | Distance |
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| Dongzhimen - Sanyuanqiao | 4 minutes | - km | Capital Airport (Terminal 2) - Sanyuanqiao | 24 minutes | - |
| Sanyuanqiao - Capital Airport (Terminal 3) | 10 minutes | - km | Sanyuanqiao - Dongzhimen | 4 minutes | - |
| Capital Airport (Terminal 3) - Capital Airport (Terminal 2) | 14 minutes | - km |
| Beijing Subway Airport Express (Dongzhimen - Beijing Capital International Airport) 4 stations • 28.1 km • 15 minutes throughout | 
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| Beijing Subway System (Current as of July 19, 2008) | 
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