What You Need to Know About the CBD Subway Line as Construction Accelerates

Listen up morning commuters! Beijing is taking steps to make sure you have to walk as little as possible to make it from your bed to your desk. The Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission recently approved a feasibility study report on the subway line 28 (CBD line) project, and the project is also included as a key goal of the Beijing Municipal Government in 2020 and is currently under construction. All this means that we're finally getting a better picture of how the city's subway map will be reshaped once the line opens in 2022.

Here’s what you need to know to maximize your CBD subway swipe:

The basics: Stations and transfers

Line 28 will be located in Chaoyang District. Starting from Dongdaqiao and ending at Guangqudong Road Station, with a total distance of 8.9 kilometers.  

The line won't be very long, but you're likely to find yourself on its trains at some point due to the addition of several transfer stations. In total, there are nine subway stations, five of which can be used for interchanges. Among them, Dongdaqiao Station interchanges with Line 6 and Line 17 (currently under construction), and Line 22 (under construction). Jintai Xizhao (Jingguang Bridge) Station interchanges with Line 10 and Line 22 (currently under construction).

More fun facts

• Points of Entry: More than half of the Line 28 station entrances will be integrated with existing buildings, decreasing the amount of time office workers would need to spend outdoors. 
• A quick ride from station to station: Oriented diagonally across the CBD, the average station spacing is the shortest in the city’s rail transit network. The intended average distance between stations is about 1 kilometer, connecting most major CBD office and residential centers.
• Take it to the train station: Line 28 is eventually intended to connect to the Beijing East Railway Station, which will form a suburban transit hub and increase the ease of multi-line and multi-region transfers.

READ: Walking the City: A Guide to Exploring Beijing by Foot

Images: Azylber (via Wikimedia), Beijing News