Type Rapid transit Status Operational Electrification Third rail | System Beijing Subway Line length 41.4 km Stations 18 | |
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Daily ridership 149,400 (2014 Avg.)
432,200 (2016 Peak) Character Underground, high elevated Operator Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corporation Limited Terminis Fengbo Station, Qinghuadongluxikou Station | ||
Line 15 of the Beijing Subway (simplified Chinese: 北京地铁15号线; traditional Chinese: 北京地鐵15號線; pinyin: běijīng dìtiě shíwǔhào xiàn) is a rapid transit rail line in northern Beijing with one portion in operation and the remainder under construction. In all, the line is set to have a total length of 45.7 kilometres (28.4 mi) across northern Beijing from Xiyuan in Haidian District in the west, to Hedong in Shunyi District in the east. The line uses Sparcs CBTC system supplied by Nippon Signal. It is being built in two phases. Phase I covers the eastern half of Line 15 from Qinghuadongluxikou in Haidian District to Fengbo in Shunyi District. It will cost ¥17.6 billion. Section 3 of Phase 1 opened in 2014. Phase II is expected to be completed by 2015. The line features 6-car trains similar to other lines in the Beijing Subway. Line 15 tunnels will be up to 38 metres (125 ft) underground, making them the deepest in Beijing's subway system. Trains run every five minutes during the rush hour, with a journey from Fengbo to Qinghuadongluxikou Station taking 60 minutes.
Contents
Route
Phase I is planned to be 38.3 km long (23.8 mi) with 18 stations, covers the eastern half of Line 15 and connects the suburbs of Shunyi District with the existing subway network at Wangjing West (Line 13), Datun Lu East (Line 5) and at the Olympic Green (Line 8). Currently all three sections of Phase I are operational. It has 18 stations and is over 41 km (25 mi) in length. The operational sections run from the Qinghuadongluxikou in Haidian District to Fengbo in Shunyi District. Line 15 travels underground from Qinghuadongluxikou to Maquanying, and then goes above ground on an elevated track to Houshayu before returning underground and going underneath the Chaobai River to Fengbo. The elevated section is high enough to allow elevated roads to pass underneath. A major public venue on the Line 15 route is the New China International Exposition Center (New CIEC) 新国展 at the China International Exhibition Center station 国展站. New CIEC holds the annual Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, which attracted 800,000 visitors in 2012.
History
During planning of Line 15, the eastern terminus was moved from Fuqian Jie to the east bank of the Chaobai River. Construction began on Phase I of Line 15 in Shunyi District on April 11, 2009. At that time, Phase I of Line 15 was only 31.15 km (19.36 mi) long with 12 stations. According to the construction schedule in 2009, the eastern-most Shunyi section of Phase I (18.5 km or 11.5 mi in length with seven stations) would be opened first on December 30, 2011. The remainder of Phase I would follow in May 2013. However, on October 28, 2009, when track-laying began on Phase I of Line 15, Line 15's construction schedule was revised with Phase I expanded from 31 km (19 mi) and 12 stations to 38 km (24 mi) and 18 stations. Phase II plans also underwent a revision; instead of two sections, Phase I would be built and opened in three sections. The first section of Phase I, from Wangjing West to Houshayu, opened on December 30, 2010. The second, from Houshayu to Fengbo, followed at the end of 2011. The third section, from Qinghuadongluxikou to Guanzhuang, opened on December 28, 2014.
Line 15, Phase I stations, from east to west with transfers in parentheses:
* Wangjing East station did not open in 2010 due to lack of connections with the surrounding road system.
** Datunlu East station did not open in 2014 because the transfer corridors to Line 5 were still under construction.
Route Under Construction
The route of Line 15 has been revised several times, and the unfinished portions may still change.
Phase II
As of April 2009, Phase II plans showed the western half of Line 15 running from Xiyuan in Haidian District, through the campus of Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun, and the Olympic Green, and joining Phase I at Wangjing West. In 2013, the design of Xiyuan station still leaves enough space to build another platform in between Line 4 and Line 16 platform for potential Line 15 westward extension. But by October 28, 2009, those of Phase II were undergoing major revision, with one proposal extending Line 15 westward as originally planned with additional stations and another proposal sending Line 15 southward as parallel to Line 8 to provide relief for congested Line 4 and 5.