Type Rapid transit Status Operational Stations 19 (18 in operation) | System Beijing Subway Opened July 19, 2008 | |
 | ||
Daily ridership 303,100 (2014 Avg.)
431,000 (2014 Peak) Operator(s) Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp., Ltd Terminis Nanluoguxiang Station, Zhuxinzhuang Station | ||
Line 8 of the Beijing Subway (Chinese: 北京地铁8号线; pinyin: běijīng dìtiě bāhàoxiàn), formerly known as the Olympic Branch Line (奥运支线), is a rapid transit line in northern Beijing. The line currently has 17 stations in operation and runs 26.6 km (16.5 mi) from Zhuxinzhuang in Changping District to Nanluoguxiang in Dongcheng Districts. Line 8's color is green.
Contents
- Fare
- Hours of Operation
- Route
- History
- Phase I Olympic Branch Line
- Phase II
- Northern extension to Huilongguan
- Southern extension to Gulou Dajie
- Sections opened at the end of 2013
- Southern extension to Nanluoguxiang
- Changping Line 8 Connector
- Phase III
- Rolling Stock
- References
Line 8 sits on the central north-south axis of the city of Beijing, which is aligned through the Drum Tower, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and Yongdingmen. Line 8 opened on July 19, 2008 as the Olympic Branch Line to serve the Olympic Green, located due north of the city centre, during the 2008 Summer Olympics. The line had only four stations and 4.53 km (2.81 mi) of track. Line 8 was extended by six stations to the north in 2011, by two stations to the south in 2012, and by more three stations to the north and two more to the south on December 28, 2013.
The line is still being expanded along the central axis to the south. Line 8 will veer to the east of the central axis to avoid passing under the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square, before returning to the central axis alignment at the Qianmen Station. By 2017, Line 8 is expected to reach Wufutang in the southern suburbs of Fengtai District and have a total length of 46 km (29 mi).
Fare
Starting fare of RMB(¥) 3.00 that increases according to the distance fare scheme introduced in December 2014.
Hours of Operation
The first south-bound train departs from Zhuxinzhuang at 5:10am. The first north-bound train departs from Nanluoguxiang at 5:30am. The last south-bound train leaves Zhuxinzhuang at 10:05pm. The last north-bound train leaves Nanluoguxiang at 11:00pm.
Route
In the north, Line 8 begins at Zhuxinzhuang on the Changping Line and heads east to Huilongguan and then south through the Line 13 arc at Huoying to the Olympic Forest Park. After two stops in the Olympic Green, Line 8 enters the Line 10 loop at Beitucheng and then the Line 2 loop at Gulou Dajie before reaching Nanluoguxiang on Line 6. The National Art Museum Station is not yet open to the public.
Apart from the Zhuxinzhuang Station and an 1.7 km (1.1 mi) section of elevated track leading therefrom, the entire line runs underground.
History
Line 8 has been planned and built in several phases.
Phase I (Olympic Branch Line)
Line 8 was planned as the subway line that follows Beijing's central north-south axis. The first section of Line 8 to be built was the four-station segment from Beitucheng to South Gate of Forest Park, 4.35 km (2.70 mi) in length, that serves the Olympic Green. This section was included in Beijing's bid for the 2008 Summer Olympics, which was awarded to the city in 2001. Originally, Beijing's subway planners also considered building a subway extension line off of Line 13 or Line 5 to serve the Olympic Green but ultimately chose to build Line 8 as a branch off of Line 10. Construction began in 2004. With other Olympic venues also under construction, Phase I of Line 8 was built using the cut-and-cover method to reduce the difficulty of construction. The Olympic Branch Line, as Line 8 Phase I was known, entered into operation together with Line 10 on July 19, 2008. Access was originally restricted to riders with an Olympic Register Card or a ticket to an event at the Olympic Games or Paralympic Games on the day of the event. In early October 2008, the line was fully opened to the public.
Phase II
On December 8, 2007, while Phase I of Line 8 was still under construction, work began on Phase II to extend Line 8 in both directions along the city's north-south central axis. In Phase II was estimated to cost ¥10.1 billion and was scheduled to be completed by 2012.
Northern extension to Huilongguan
The northern extension to Huilongguan, 10.7 km (6.6 mi) in length with six stations, extended the Olympic Branch Line north from the South Gate of Forest Park to Huilongguan in Changping District beyond the Line 13 arc. Land clearing for Phase II began in December 2007. Tunnel boring machines began work on October 16, 2009. In the fall of 2011, the entire Line 8 shut down and the entire line including the Phase II northern extension reopened on December 31, 2011.
The Lincuiqiao Station, just west of the Olympic Forest Park, was originally planned as an emergency stop, but was added at the behest of nearby residents and their municipal people's congress representative, Tian Yuan, who argued that the 5.1 km (3.2 mi) gap between the Forest Park and Yongtai Stations made subway access inconvenient for residents along Lincui Road. Lincuiqiao was officially added as a station to Phase II plans in December 2008.
Southern extension to Gulou Dajie
The southern extension to Gulou Dajie, 3.28 km (2.04 mi) in length, opened on December 30, 2012 along with the Anhuaqiao and Gulou Dajie Stations. Travel time from Huilongguan to the Second Ring Road was reduced by a half-hour. Daily ridership reached 203,000 in March 2013.
Sections opened at the end of 2013
On December 28, 2013, Line 8 reached 26.614 km (16.537 mi) in length with the opening of the Changping-Line 8 Connector and the southern extension to Nanluoguxiang.
Southern extension to Nanluoguxiang
South of Gulou Dajie, Line 8 was extended a further 3.2 km (2.0 mi) through Shichahai to the National Art Museum on December 28, 2013. Since the Art Museum station remains closed, the penultimate stop in the south, Nanluoguxiang on Line 6, became the southern terminus of Line 8.
Changping-Line 8 Connector
The Changping-Line 8 Connector, also known as the Changba Connector Line (昌八联络线) or Changba Connector, is a 6.3-kilometre-long (3.9 mi) extension of Line 8 from Zhuxinzhuang to Huilongguan Dongdajie on the Changping Line. The Changba Connector contains two stations, Pingxifu and Yuzhi Lu, and forms the northern-most section of Line 8. The Changba Connector was designed to alleviate passenger traffic on Line 13 by allowing Changping Line riders heading to destinations in eastern Beijing to switch to Line 8 at Zhuxingzhuang instead of transferring to Line 13 at Xi'erqi. The connector was built from April 2011 to September 2013 and entered operation at the end of 2013.
Phase III
In Phase III, Line 8 will be extended further south from the National Art Museum Station through Qianmen and Yongdingmen to beyond the southern 4th Ring Road. Planning began in 2009. As of June 2011, plans of Line 8 in Phase III showed 14 stations over 17.3 km. Phase III was scheduled to be built by 2015 but the commencement of construction was not set to begin until October 2013. As of October 2013, Phase III of Line 8 is expected to open in two sections. In 2016, the southern-most section of Phase III from Zhushikou to Wufutang is expected to open first, followed by the section from Wangfujing North to Zhushikou in 2017. In all, Line 8 is expected to have a total length of 46 km (29 mi).
Rolling Stock
During the Olympics Line 8 borrowed Line 10's trains; after the opening of the first sections of Phase II new trains dedicated to Line 8 where manufactured by CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Co., Ltd.