Subway Line 1
From Beijingology
| Subway Line 1 Ditie Yi Hao Xian 地铁一号线 地鐵一號綫 aka "Yixian Ditie" (一线地铁) in Chinese | |
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| Number of Stations | 23 (publicly served) |
| Color | Standard Red |
| Length | 31.04 km |
| Interchange Stations (total: 11; 6 currently in use) | Pingguoyuan (Datai Line) Gongzhufen (Line 10) Military Museum (Line 9) Fuxingmen (Line 2) Xidan (Line 4) Dongdan (Line 5) Jianguomen (Line 2) Guomao (Line 10) Dawanglu (Line 14) Sihui (Batong Line) Sihui East (Batong Line) |
| Termini | Pingguoyuan (western terminus) Sihui East (eastern terminus) |
| Depots | Gucheng Depot, Sihui Depot |
| First Service | () |
| Last Service | () |
| Coverage | Extended Chang'an Avenue (Shijingshan Road through to Jianguo Road), parts of Pingguoyuan and western part of Jingtong Expressway |
| Rolling Stock | DKZ4, Sifang CSR ("Lifeless Stick") Prefixed G (Gucheng Depot) or S (Sihui Depot) |
| Journeys | |
| Year Opened / Last Extension | 1969 (first opened) 1999 (Xidan - Sihui East extension) |
| Notes | |
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Line 1 of the Beijing Subway runs from Pingguoyuan in the west through to Sihui in the east. It is the longest east-west subway line in Beijing, and is colored standard red.
It runs beneath "China's Main Street" or the "First Street of the Nation" (Chang'an Avenue) and through the Xidan, Wangfujing and Dongdan commercial districts.
Two stops on either side of Tian'anmen Square service the huge crowds which flock to this historic area on major holidays. The stations are sometimes in such high demand that passengers are dropped off elsewhere, to reduce overcrowding on the square.
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History
Beijing's Subway Line 1 has a history dating back nearly 40 years, being -- in essence -- the very first subway line anywhere in the Greater China region (including Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan).
Work on Line 1 got underway on July 1, 1965, with the line opening on October 1, 1969, to celebrate the People's Republic of China at 20. The subway line then ran a slightly different route: it ran from Beijing Railway Station via Fuxingmen through to Gongzhufen and points further west, thereby incorporating the southern section of what is now Line 2.
Services were first limited from Beijing Railway Station through to Gongzhufen, with Line 1 progressively expanding further west in the 1970s. The present western terminus at Pingguoyuan was reached by 1981. Two further stations were built northwest of Pingguoyuan, but these remain inaccessible to passengers even through this day.
When services were first inaugurated in 1969, only passengers with letters of introduction from work units were allowed into the system (and foreigners were not allowed into the system at all). A price of CNY 0.10 was fixed in 1971, but the tickets remained an internal matter; the public had to rely on letters of introduction. In the 1970s, the subway company existed as a "secret company"; the military was still the owner of the subway system back in the day. Back in the day, train intervals were long -- the shortest interval being no shorter than 14 minutes.
The military era of Line 1, and with that, the entire subway system, ended in 1976, with a civilian corporation created. Line 1 became a separate subway line on December 28, 1987, with the segment from Fuxingmen through to the railway station becoming the southern part of Line 2.
Line 1 was extended to Xidan by late 1992, and in 1999, the segment running all the way east through to Sihui East was opened. The Fuba Line, under construction between December 28, 1992 and late 1999, at first was a separate line in the plans; however, it became part of the newly extended Line 1. Trains, however, were still forced to run in two sections: Pingguoyuan - Xidan and Tian'anmen West - Sihui East. With the resolution of technical problems, a through service from Pingguoyuan through to Sihui East was made possible by June 28, 2000.
Sihui and Sihui East became transfer stations to the Batong Line on December 27, 2003, as services extended to Tuqiao, Tongzhou, just short of the eastern 6th Ring Road.
In late 2007, new trains was introduced on Line 1, which featured TV monitors, transparent text tickers, doors with pre-installed alarms that sound at departure, and a new station indication system, amongst other novelties.
Recent Developments
Speculation about a further western extension to Line 1 along its original path underneath Chang'an Avenue for the stretch west of Gucheng station rose when it was announced in late October 2008 that the extended Chang'an Avenue would continue west into Mentougou District by 2012. The plans called for a direct continuation of Line 1 into Mentougou, thus making the current terminus at Pingguoyuan become a branch line (along with the two other hidden stations). A few days after the initial media report, however, transit authorities noted that the Datai Line (or Line S1) will, instead, link with Lines 1 and 6 at interchange stations while heading directly into Mentougou.
By late September 2009, Xidan station will become an interchange station with Line 4.
Route
Except for the section running between Pingguoyuan and Gucheng, much of Line 1 proceeds in a straight line west-east running for over 20 station through to Sihui East.
Line 1 starts from outside the western 5th Ring Road and runs just east of the eastern 4th Ring Road, passing Beijing's ring road system 7 times. It is the only subway line to run past Tian'anmen Square.
Line 1 runs pretty much along the extended Chang'an Avenue from the east gate of Capital Steel and Iron Works all the way east, until passing east of Sihui Bridge, where the avenue continues in the form of the Jingtong Expressway.
Stations
| Name | Location | Exits | Station Halls | Platforms | Platform Level Livery | Times served | Disabled Access | Interchanges |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pingguoyuan (苹果园) | Pingguoyuan South Road, Shijingshan | 2 (A, B) | Side halls | Side platforms | White | 05:09 - 22:54 | Line Datai (2011) | |
| Gucheng (古城) | Shijingshan Road, Shijingshan | 4 (A-D) | Side halls | Side platforms | Sand | 04:57 - 00:07 | Escalators available | |
| Bajiao Amusement Park (八角游乐园) | East of Bajiao Bridge, Shijingshan | 2 (A, B) | Separated halls | Side platforms | Firebrick red | 05:00 - 00:04 | ||
| Babaoshan (八宝山) | Babaoshan, Shijingshan | 4 (A-D) | Side halls | Central island | Beige | 05:01 - 00:01 | ||
| Yuquanlu (玉泉路) | Yuquanlu Crossing, Shijingshan | 8 (A-D, two per letter) | Side halls | Central island | Sand | 05:06 - 23:58 | ||
| Wukesong (五棵松) | Wukesong Bridge, Haidian | 7 (A, B-D, two per letter) | Side halls | Central island | Pale sand | 05:09 - 23:55 | ||
| Wanshoulu (万寿路) | Wanshou Road crossing with Fuxing Road, Haidian | 8 (A-D, two per letter) | Side halls | Central island | Pale pink | 05:12 - 23:52 | ||
| Gongzhufen (公主坟) | Xinxing Bridge, Haidian | 8 (A-D, two per letter) | Side halls | Central island | Beige | 05:15 - 23:50 | Line 10 (2012) | |
| Military Museum (军事博物馆) | Wanshou Road crossing with Fuxing Road, Haidian | 5 (A, B, C1, C2, D) | Side halls | Central island | Marble | 05:16 - 23:47 | Line 9 (2012) | |
| Muxidi (木樨地) | Muxidi Bridge, Haidian and Xicheng | 8 (A-D, two per letter) | Side halls | Central island | Firebrick red | 05:13 - 23:45 | ||
| Nanlishilu (南礼士路) | Just west of Fuxingmen Bridge, Xicheng | 5 (A, B, C, D1, D2) | Side halls | Central island | Limestone-white | 05:11 - 23:43 | ||
| Fuxingmen (复兴门) | Fuxingmen Bridge, Xicheng | 4 (A-D) | Side halls | Central island | Sand | 05:09 - 23:41 | Line 2 | |
| Xidan (西单) | Xidan Crossing, Xicheng | 5 (A-E) | Through hall | Central island | Sand | Line 4 (2009) | ||
| Tian'anmen West (天安门西) | Crossing between West Chang'an Avenue and Nanchang Street, Xicheng | 3 (A-C) | Through hall | Central island | ||||
| Tian'anmen East (天安门东) | Just east of Tian'anmen Square, Dongcheng | 4 (A-D) | Through hall | Central island | ||||
| Wangfujing (王府井) | Wangfujing South Crossing, Dongcheng | 3 (A-C) | Through hall | Central island | ||||
| Dongdan (东单) | Dongdan Crossing, Dongcheng | 4 (A-D) | Through hall | Central island | Line 5 | |||
| Jianguomen (建国门) | Jianguomen Bridge, Dongcheng | 4 (A-D) | Side halls | Central island | Line 2 | |||
| Yonganli (永安里) | Qijiayuan Crossing, Chaoyang | 3 (A-C) | Through hall | Central island | ||||
| Guomao (国贸) | Guomao Bridge, Chaoyang | 3 (A-C) | Through hall | Central island | Firebrick red | Line 10 | ||
| Dawanglu (大望路) | Dawang Bridge, Chaoyang | 3 (A-C) | Through hall | Central island | Line 14 (2012) | |||
| Sihui (四惠) | Sihui Bridge, Chaoyang | 4 (A-D) | Through hall | Central island | Batong Line | |||
| Sihui East (四惠东) | Kangjiagou, Xicheng | 2 (A, B) | Through hall | Mixed platforms | Batong Line |
Unopened Stations
Not mentioned on any Beijing subway map are two elusive stations, Fushouling and Gaojing, otherwise known as stations 52 and 53, respectively. If they were to appear on a Subway map, they would bear the station numbers 102 and 101, respectively, thus ending the mystery surrounding the current westernmost terminus, Pingguoyuan, numbered 103. (Present-day maps do not show the numbers at all.)
Both of those stations are closed to the public - do not travel to these places. (Subway maps by Beijingology and Civitology show only stations accessible to the general public.) The two stations are in Shijingshan District and are in a restricted zone.
Fushouling is hidden in an insitute in the midst of civilian buildings; Gaojing is in a complex completely sealed off to the visitor. There are further rumors that there is an additional station further west, known as Heishitou or Station 54. These stations are relics from a bygone era, when the military was a heavy user of the Subway system. These stations, despite being virtually untouched, are still patrolled and were connected pre-2008 by commuter trains. Both stations use side platforms.
Interchanges
Line 1's major issue is with the length of the interchange passageways, as none offer a "zero-distance" link any other lines.
Interchanges take place at platform level with Line 2 at Fuxingmen and Jianguomen stations, whereas all interchanges are at concourse level (a level above platform level) at all other transfer points.
All existing interchanges are likely to be filled with vast number of transferring passengers, but nowhere is this the case than at Dongdan, where the west-east and north-south lines connect. Transfers during rush hour can take upwards of ten minutes or more.
Fuxingmen
- Interchange with Line 2
Fuxingmen is a three-level interchange. Line 2 uses island platforms on Underground Level 2; Line 1 island platforms are a floor beneath on Underground Level 3.
Passengers entering the station can choose any line of travel (directly or through interchange passageways), although exits A and D are located closer to Line 2 platforms and Line 1 platforms are closer to exits B and C (which can be a challenge to locate).
Passengers already in the station arriving on Line 1 can interchange to Line 2 using bidirectional interchange passageways located near exits B and C. The staircases at the other end of the Line 1 platform are unidirectional only and are reserved for Line 2 passengers changing to Line 1.
Passengers on Line 2 transferring to Line 1 can use either the mid-platform unidirectional interchange stairs or use interchange passageways located near exits A and D. These passageways are not signposted at the Line 2 platforms, but signage is available on Underground Level 1.
Xidan
- This interchange is presently not yet open.
- Interchange with Line 4
The link with Line 4 at Xidan is likely to be completed with two relatively long interchange passages. At-level escalators will be available.
The interchange passageway will be available at Underground Level 1 in both parts of the station.
Dongdan
- Interchange with Line 5
The interchange at Dongdan sees Line 1 just east of the crossing, whereas Line 5 spans the whole crossing. Two interchange passageways are used to link the two lines together.
All interchange passageways are located at Underground Level 1 in both parts of Dongdan station. At-platform escalators as well as ordinary escalators are available, but may be out of use, especially during rush hour. Interchange passageways became unidirectional after an accident in early 2008; prior to this, they were bidirectional (as they were initially designed to be).
Jianguomen
- Interchange with Line 2
Jianguomen is a three-level interchange. Line 2 uses island platforms on Underground Level 2; Line 1 island platforms are a floor beneath on Underground Level 3.
Passengers entering the station choose either their line of travel at the ticket barriers (exits A and C) or, if entering through Exit B, at the Line 2 concourse (Underground Level 1).
Passengers from Line 1 transferring to Line 2 can either use a bidirectional staircase in the middle of the Line 1 platform, or use two more remote passages (which are not signposted directly as interchange passageways and involve coming close to the ticket barriers, although the station need to be exited). The staircase-in-the-middle-of-the-platform solution is quicker, but more jammed up with passengers.
Passengers from Line 2 transferring to Line 1 use either the unidirectional (down only) staircase in the middle of the Line 1 platform, or two more remote passages (which are also not signposted directly as interchange passageways and which also coming close to the ticket barriers). Nearly all passengers use the mid-platform staircases; clearance here, despite the staircase being unidirectional, can get very slow, especially around rush hour.
Guomao
- Interchange with Line 10
Interchange passageways, which are situated on Underground Level 1 of both parts of Guomao station, connect the two line-specific parts of the station together. At-level escalators are not available, but ordinary escalators are to get passengers up or down the stairs near the Line 1 ends.
Due to space limitations (Guomao station has to dodge lots of sunken bridge poles from the above-ground Guomao Bridge complex), plus the choice of the "cheapest" option for the Guomao transfer links, the combined, bidirectional (but direction-separated) passageway at Guomao is one of the narrowest passageways available in the whole Line 1 system, although it can accommodate for about five to six passengers per row per direction.
The Line 10 part of Guomao station uses split island platforms; passengers transferring to platforms bound for Bagou (as well as incoming passengers from Jinsong) must go through another intra-Line 10 passage which can feel like another interchange passageway on its own.
Sihui and Sihui East
- Interchange with the Batong Line
Sihui and Sihui East are interchange stations which feature platforms for both lines under one roof. When the stations were first built (and when the Batong Line first went into service), passengers had to purchase separate tickets to change lines (or use a prepaid combo ticket). Fares were unified on October 7, 2007, but even then, separated platforms were kept. (The two lines run on different schedules.)
The apparently easy-to-use interchange halls in both stations have been massively complicated by the presence of a dizzying array of barriers, which are used only during rush hour to limit platform flow. Signage is present throughout the station, although they can be few and far between.
Planned Interchanges
- Gongzhufen (with Line 10): Works for the Line 10 part of Gongzhufen station broke ground in late March 2009, ending disputes whether Line 10 would cross in the west with Line 1 at Wanshoulu (a station further west) or at Gongzhufen station itself. Due to the fact that Line 1 island platforms have already been completed in full, the Line 1 - Line 10 interchange will likely be a combination of mid-platform staircases in the Line 1 part, followed by interchange passageways.
- Military Museum (with Line 9): The Line 9 part of the Military Museum station will, according to plans, be built just west of the present-day Line 1 part of the station, at the crossroads itself. (The Line 1 part is just east of the crossing.) Interchange passageways are likely to be used here as well.
Future Interchanges
- Pingguoyuan (with Datai Line): The 2015 Subway blueprints also include the Subway Datai Line, which connects urban Beijing with Mentougou District. Lines 1 and Datai will meet at Pingguoyuan station.
Platforms
For much of the entire stretch of Subway Line 1, all stations are furnished with a central platform (very reminiscient of the 1960s "Sino-Sov" architectural style) for the stretch from Babaoshan through to Fuxingmen and again at Jianguomen. However, side platforms are used for Bajiao Amusement Park, Gucheng and Pingguoyuan stations.
Central platforms are used in the stretch from Xidan through to Sihui East, but with the exception of Jianguomen station, they are often wider, more spacious, and have a more modernized look and feel, and feature multiple staircases. These stations (except for Jianguomen) were built to accommodate 8-car trains, but are presently not usable in their entire lengths due to the fact that Jianguomen was built only for 6-car trains.
Trains
Subway Line 1 uses four types of rolling stock: the original rolling stock from the 1960s and 1980s, newer rolling stock (the 1999 type, known as a DKZ4 train), a newer type of train that has electronic displays inside the carriages and an even newer one with new interior livery and TV screens inside. The great majority of trains on Line 1 now vary between the newest (2007) trains and 1999 DKZ4 trains; older trains are now quite rare. By autumn 2009, only 2007 trains are expected to be on the tracks.
1999 and 2007 trains feature through carriages; carriages are split by means of two sliding doors on the 1999 trains, while on 2007 trains, there are no physical barriers at all.
Doors open and close on the oldest type of rolling stock without any warning. This problem does not present itself on newer rolling stock. Nonetheless, to solve the problem, Beijing Subway introduced a station-side alarm system that sounds when the doors are about to close. The newest train sound only one audible alert before doors open or close, this being an anomaly on the whole Subway network.
Two depots are available on Line 1; one near Gucheng (Gucheng Depot) in the west, and one in the east near Sihui (Sihui Depot). Trains based in Gucheng start with the prefix G; those at Sihui start with the letter S.
In the 1970s, rolling stock used to be military-green in livery patches (the rest of the train remained pale sand), as the subway system then was an emergency defense system ready for use in wartime managed by the military (which uses green). At that time, automatically closing doors were still very much considered a novelty.
2007 Rolling Stock Controversy
On November 7, 2007, new trains made an appearance on Line 1, which featured low (1 meter tall) handles throughout the train. Designers apparently wanted to make the train wheelchair-friendly; hence the positioning of the new stick-handles.
However, a major problem soon occurred where the stick-handles were blocking people at the doors. The handles were also too low (they did not run through from the floor to the top of the train). Even more worrying was the fact that these one-meter-tall stick-handles had an awful tendency to -- in essence -- hit the more private bits of adult passengers (which could even cause reproductive problems). As a result, quite a number of stick-handles (especially those at the doors) were gradually removed. The stick-handles also had horrible cases of hitting sleeping passengers (where the passengers, asleep, banged into the handle).
The new trains soon earned a rather ghastly nickname known as the Lifeless Stick, which hints that hitting the stick while standing could cause problems (as it hit exactly the wrong parts of passengers). The Chinese name, 断子绝孙杵 (literally "Stick Without Post-Generations"), is a hint at the poorly-positioned stick-handles. Some, though, continue to call the new trains the Red Bullet, referring much more to the outside of the train than the stick-handles inside the train.
Most Subway fans simply refer to the new Line 1 trains as the Stick Car (杵), doing away with the "Lifeless" bit. Nevertheless, consensus is that the Subway company played the "wheelchair-friendly" card rather poorly with a badly-positioned (and too-low) stick-handle.
Service Frequency
Service intervals on Subway Line 1 have been shortened thanks to a massive onslaught of passengers, and the fact that this is the only "real" west-east line in Beijing. The present-day Line 1 is extremely crowded at rush hours. Attempts to rectify the situation, including skipping stations, were unpopular with the ridership.
Different platform lengths have further compounded the situation, with newer stations able to handle up to 8-car trains, but most platforms compatible only with 6-car ones.
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Fares
Fares are a uniform CNY 2. Beijing Super Pass users can touch in to ride the subway.
Security
Platform doors are not available on Subway Line 1. The subway line uses a third-track electricity system, and this therefore presents a very visible safety hazard. Platform doors were expected to be installed on most, if not all, Subway Line 1 stations by May 2008, but the move has been delayed, and more recently, publicity officers and planning authority heads have ruled out any likelihood of immediate installation, citing too narrow platforms as a cause for concern.
Line 1 doors on newer (2007) rolling stock open and close with just one sound of the alarm, unlike other lines, where two beeps are heard before doors are opened and three heard prior to departure. (The sole exception is on some older Batong Line trains as well as the Airport Express.)
Trivia
- The Bloor-Danforth Line in Toronto, Canada, looks exactly like Beijing's Line 1 and the Batong Line, except for the fact that both ends of the line tilt differently (the western end tilts north in Beijing, but south in Toronto; the eastern end applies in a similar manner, heading south in Beijing but north in Toronto).
Links
Civitology - Beijingology
Sources and References
- CN: 从北京地铁中嗅到历史的味道 (accessed April 13, 2008)
- CN: 地下一世界——地铁往事 (accessed April 13, 2008)
- CN: 1970年底周恩来批示地铁可接待参观群众 (中国新闻周刊) (accessed April 13, 2008)
| Beijing Subway Line 1 (Pingguoyuan - Sihui East) 23 stations • 31.04 km • Minimum 2 minutes 15 seconds (3 minutes over weekends) between trains | 
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| Beijing Subway System (Current as of July 19, 2008) | 
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