The Airport Express of the Beijing Subway

Beijing Subway

The Beijing Subway is a rapid transit rail network that serves the urban and suburban districts of Beijing municipality. It is owned by the city of Beijing and has two operators, the wholly state owned Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp., which operates 12 lines, and the Beijing MTR...

also known as ABC (Airport Beijing City) is an 28.1 kilometres (17.5 mi) elevated Metro

Rapid transit

A rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated railway, metro or metropolitan railway system is an electric passenger railway in an urban area with a high capacity and frequency, and grade separation from other traffic. Rapid transit systems are typically located either in underground tunnels or on...

 line that connects the Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport

Beijing Capital International Airport, is the main international airport serving Beijing, China. It is located northeast of Beijing's city center in an enclave of Chaoyang District that is surrounded by rural Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital...

 with Beijing

Beijing

Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...

's urban center. The express line has only four stops: Dongzhimen

Dongzhimen Station

Dongzhimen Station is an interchange station for Line 2, Line 13 and the Airport Express of the Beijing Subway.Dongzhimen is the eastern terminus for Line 13 service. It is also the only underground station on the line. There are two side platforms in the Line 13 station. One is for customers...

and Sanyuanqiao

Sanyuanqiao Station

Sanyuanqiao Station is a station on Airport Express and Line 10 of the Beijing Subway in China.Due to different ticket system, paid area not connected, transfer between lines must be exit from the paid area and purchase or hold another ticket to entry another paid area.-Gallery:...

in the city , and Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the Capital Airport. The line entered into operation on July 19, 2008. On subway maps, the Airport Line's color is magnolia

Magnolia (color)

Magnolia is a color named after the flowering plant of the genus Magnolia. The first recorded use of magnolia as a color name in English was in 1925....

.

Fare

One-way fare costs RMB(¥)

Renminbi

The Renminbi is the official currency of the People's Republic of China . Renminbi is legal tender in mainland China, but not in Hong Kong or Macau. It is issued by the People's Bank of China, the monetary authority of the PRC...

 25. The Airport Express is the only line of the Beijing Subway not to apply the system-wide ¥2 flat fare.

Hours of Operation

Airport-bound trains depart from Dongzhimen from 6:00am-10:30pm. City-bound trains depart Terminal 3 from 6:21am to 10:51pm and Terminal 2 from 6:35am to 11:10pm. For the official schedule, see http://www.bjsubway.com/node/1823.

The Airport Express trains travels at speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour (62.1 mph). A trip from Dongzhimen to Terminal 3 takes 20 minutes. The Airport Express is faster than airport shuttle buses (¥16) and cheaper than taxi.

Route

The Airport Express runs in the following sequence: Dongzhimen → Sanyuanqiao → Terminal 3 → Terminal 2 → Sanyuanqiao → Dongzhimen. Riders can transfer to Lines 2

Line 2, Beijing Subway

Line 2 of the Beijing Subway is a rapid transit rail line that runs in a rectangular loop around the city centre. It traces the Ming Dynasty inner city wall, which was demolished and paved over by the 2nd Ring Road and Qianmen Avenue. It is second oldest and busiest of Beijing's subway lines and...

 and 13

Line 13, Beijing Subway

Line 13 of the Beijing Subway , also known as the CityRail Line , is a metro line that serves the northern suburbs of Beijing. On a map, Line 13's route is shaped like an inverted U that arcs north of the city and connects residential suburbs in Haidian, Changping and Chaoyang Districts with the...

 at Dongzhimen and to Line 10

Line 10, Beijing Subway

Line 10 of the Beijing Subway is the second loop line in Beijing's rapid transit network.Half of the Line 10 loop, north and east of the city centre, has been in operation since July 19, 2008. The other half of the loop, in the south and west, is now under construction. In the north, south and...

 at Sanyuanqiao.

Most of the 28.1 kilometres (17.5 mi) of tracks are on the surface, except for a 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) segment between Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao, several minor crossings underneath existing railway lines, and the terminal connection within the airport.

Station Name English	Station Name Hanzi	Transfer	Location
Dongzhimen Dongzhimen Station Dongzhimen Station is an interchange station for Line 2, Line 13 and the Airport Express of the Beijing Subway.Dongzhimen is the eastern terminus for Line 13 service. It is also the only underground station on the line. There are two side platforms in the Line 13 station. One is for customers...	东直门		Dongcheng Dongcheng District, Beijing Dongcheng District is an urban district in Beijing covering the eastern half of Beijing's urban core. It is 24.7 square kilometres in area and has a population of 535,558 . Dongcheng District covers several important parts of Beijing...
Sanyuanqiao Sanyuanqiao Station Sanyuanqiao Station is a station on Airport Express and Line 10 of the Beijing Subway in China.Due to different ticket system, paid area not connected, transfer between lines must be exit from the paid area and purchase or hold another ticket to entry another paid area.-Gallery:...	三元桥		Chaoyang Chaoyang District, Beijing Chaoyang District is a district of Beijing, China.Chaoyang is home to the majority of Beijing's many foreign embassies, the well-known Sanlitun bar street, as well as Beijing's growing CBD. The Olympic Park, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is also in Chaoyang...
Terminal 3	3号航站楼		Shunyi Shunyi District Shunyi District is an administrative district of Beijing, located outside of the city proper.-Overview:...
Terminal 2	2号航站楼		Chaoyang Chaoyang District, Beijing Chaoyang District is a district of Beijing, China.Chaoyang is home to the majority of Beijing's many foreign embassies, the well-known Sanlitun bar street, as well as Beijing's growing CBD. The Olympic Park, built for the 2008 Summer Olympics, is also in Chaoyang...

The line uses Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit

Bombardier Advanced Rapid Transit

Advanced Rapid Transit or ART is the current name given to a rapid transit system manufactured by Bombardier Transportation. The original versions look like small subway cars that typically run in two-, four- or six-car trains, but the latest versions are more streamlined two-car articulated...

 rolling stock technology, with a fleet of 40 Mk II vehicles assembled by the Changchun Railcar Company.

History

Construction of the Airport Line began in 2005. Track-laying was completed by November 2007. The Airport Express opened to public operation on July 19, 2008, in time to serve the 2008 Summer Olympic Games. The line delivered 2.17 million rides in 2008.