Capital Airport Express Will Soon Connect to Line 5, and Other Subway News

The Beijingers | Nov 4, 2021 5:33 pm | Add a comment | 1018 reads

Beijing is set to see a flurry of new subway lines as well as transfer stations and extensions of current lines by the year’s end. Chief among the extensions is one that’ll surely mean a little more convenience for those living in the city center who need to catch a flight: Capital Airport Express will soon connect to Line 5.

The extension will stretch 1.9 kilometers from Dongzhimen – the current transfer station connecting the Airport Express to Line 10 – to Line 5's Beixinqiao (see map in lead image).

In other subway news, Line 8 is expected to be completed by the end of this year, in a shift from earlier projections. Currently, Line 8 is split in two, with the northern section running from National Art Museum to Olympic Park, and the southern section running from Zhushikou to Yinghai Station.

The finalization of Line 8 will not only connect National Art Museum with Zhushikou, it will also provide three more transfer options – with Line 2 at Qianmen, Line 1 at Wangfujing, and Line 7 at the aforementioned Zhushikou.

To round off line connections, the missing section of Line 14 will also see completion by the end of the year, giving passengers the ability to transfer to Line 10 at Xiju Station and Line 4 at Beijing South Railway Station. Line 1 will also see new transfers with Line 6 and Line S1 at Pingguo Yuan.

There are also three new lines expected: Line 11, Line 17, and Line 19.

Line 11, aka the “Winter Olympic Line," will see its western section ready in time for the Beijing 2022 Olympics. Passengers will be able to transfer to the new line at Jin’anqiao, currently a transfer point between the Line S1 and Line 6. Plus, being an Olympic line, it's covered with Games-related designs.

Line 19 is another north-south line which, besides two stations at Xinfadi and Niujie, will have eight transfer stations connecting to Line 2, Line 6, and Line 10. The Line 10 transfer, at Caoqiao Station, is especially of note as it will create another transit option for those going to or from Daxing Airport.

Last but not least is Line 17, which will connect the city's northeast and southeast, although only the southern section is opening this year. This subway line will connect to Lines 10 and 14 via Shilihe, and from there will reach southward to Ciqu, where it will connect to the Yizhuang Line.