Construction on a metro line connecting the Beijing Capital
International Airport and downtown Beijing will start this month
and should be completed in June 2008, in time for the Olympics, the
Beijing Municipal? Reform and Development Commission revealed
on Saturday.
Trains will be able to complete the journey in 16 minutes. It
now takes a taxi at least half an hour to cover the same distance
on the expressway in smooth traffic.
Liu Jian from the Beijing Municipal Commission of Reform and
Development said the project has been approved by the
National? Reform and Development Commission.
Liu said the line, which connects the airport and Dongzhimen in
downtown Beijing, will be 27.3 kilometers long and have four
stations: Dongzhimen, Sanyuanqiao and the No. 2 and No. 3 terminal
buildings in the airport.
Liu estimated the price for a single trip to be 20 yuan
(US$2.5).
As the line will be part of the city's subway system, passengers
can change trains conveniently at Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao
stations.
"The metro line will provide a punctual, fast, convenient,
comfortable and efficient transport service for visitors and
guarantee smooth transport during the 2008
Beijing Olympic Games," Liu said.
A special lounge will be built in Dongzhimen Station where plane
passengers can finish boarding procedures before they go to the
airport, thereby saving a lot of time. They can even manage a quick
tour of the city after having their luggage consigned.
Liu revealed that 3.6 kilometers of the metro will be built
underground between Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao stations to avoid
troubling nearby residents, although this means a higher
construction cost.
The project will cost 5.4 billion yuan (US$670 million), funded
by a joint venture of five domestic companies. It is Beijing's
first city railway project to be financed without government cash,
Liu said.
Yu Le, chief designer, said the trains on the new line will be
the first in Beijing to be equipped with linear motors, which have
many advantages over traditional motors such as lower noise
emissions.
Yu said linear motors have been used for other city railways in
many countries. Invitations to be bid will be sent out before a
decision is made on which type of linear motor technology to
use.
(China Daily January 9, 2006)