Southern Section of Beijing Subway Line 16 Now Open

The southern section of Beijing's newest subway line is now open as of Dec 31.

Line 16 is expected to carry 350,000 passengers daily, with a minimum departure interval of six minutes during peak hours on weekdays.

The southern section of the line runs from Muxidi in the north to Yushuzhuang in the south, with a total length of about 14.2 kilometers. The section has ten stations, which are Muxidi, Daguanying, Hongliannanlu, Lize Business District, Dongguantounan, Fengtai, Fengtainanlu, Fufengqiao, Kandan, and Yushuzhuang.

The southern section of Line 16 will join the northern and middle sections, offering a total travel time of just 78 minutes from Bei’anhe in the north to Yushuzhuang in the south. Meanwhile, the newly-built section will pass through some of the areas that are clustered by tech driven industries including the high-tech industrial zones, the Lize Business District, and Fengtai Science and Technology Park in the south.

The city envisions that the new line will effectively ease the traffic pressure in the central downtown area and offer an alternative transportation option for residents living in the northwest and southwest parts of Beijing. Meanwhile, Fengtai Station of Line 16 will connect with Fengtai Railway Station, the largest railway station in Asia, meaning that passengers who are looking to get outside Beijing can directly transfer from Fengtai Station to get to the railway station.

All stations along Line 16 are equipped with cleaning robots and Augmented Reality (AR) glass, to help with station safety and disinfection.

Not only that, these robots can automatically step away from obstacles and return to their charging stations when their power is low.

In addition to the robots in the station, AR glass is also being used to ensure the safety of passengers. For instance, in case of an emergency, the AR glass on subways can quickly compare data and raise alarms, thus speeding up the handling of incidents for drivers.

Furthermore, AEDs will be deployed at every station in the southern section of Line 16, and staff have also completed first-aid trainings to ensure the safety of passengers.

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Images: Dianping, 北京交通广播