Seven Stations to Remain Closed When New Subway Lines and Prices Debut Dec 28

As Beijing rushes to prepare for the imminent subway price hike and debut of four new sections of track nine days from now, new wrinkles have appeared as seven stations will remain closed beyond the December 28 launch date. Principal among the portions that aren't finished are the Chaoyang Park stop at the south gate and the Shuangjing station on the new Line 7.

Beginning December 28, four new sections of track will open for use. Line 14 will link the Lido, Wangjing and Jiuxianqiao areas where Indigo Mall, Beijing United Family Hospital, and the 798 Art District are to the eastern CBD. Line 7 will become another major line cutting across the city east-west, connecting Guanganmen, Caishikou and the southeast corner of the 4th Ring Road. Line 6 will be extended deeper into Tongzhou and Line 15 will be extended from Wangjing West to Tsinghua East.

As usual, good news about improvements to Beijing’s miserable commute rarely come without qualifications: Most of the seven stations that will remain closed are due to construction delays, with the notable exception of Shuangjing, which authorities say is way too crowded to allow for an interchange between Lines 10 and 7.

Notorious for its narrow platform and huge volume of commuters, Shuangjing's mess is far from being resolved. While the station’s current capacity is already maxed out, the real mess is that the station sees no potential for a possible enlargement due to limited usable underground space.

According to another report by the Beijing News, an officer from the local transportation bureau confirmed that “the station cannot be enlarged,” though they are working on other solutions to the problem. A report from Gaotie.cn reveals that Shuangjing was not intended to be a transfer station when Line 10 was constructed, and therefore no space was left for future enlargement of the station.

Some of the unfinished stations have expected opening dates: the Datun Lu Dong station on Line 15 will open by June 2015 once a walkway to connect the station’s Line 5 platform with its Line 15 platform is finished; and the opening date of Chaoyang Park station has been set for some time in 2015 as well.

In the mean time, those intending to go by subway to Chaoyang Park can get off on the Zaoying station of Line 14, which is near in the northwest corner of the park near Solana Mall.

Image: d.youth.cn