Line 16 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...

is a rapid transit

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...

 rail line under planning in 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...

. It will be a north-south route in far western Beijing, west of the current Line 4, Beijing Subway

Line 4, Beijing Subway

Line 4 of the Beijing Subway is the 9th subway line in Beijing's mass transit network. It entered into operation on September 28, 2009, and runs from north to south, parallel and to the west of Line 5, through Haidian, Xicheng, Xuanwu and Fengtai Districts in the western half of the city. It is...

. According to tentative plans unveiled in December 2010, Line 16 will run 23 km from the Suzhoujie Station

Suzhoujie Station

Suzhoujie Station is a subway station on Line 10 of the Beijing Subway in China....

 on 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...

 to Yushuzhuang in Fengtai District

Fengtai District

Fengtai District is a suburban district of the municipality of Beijing. It lies to the southwest of the urban core of the city.-History:In Qing Dynasty times, Fengtai was where the Imperial Manchu Army had its camps, trained, and held parades on festive occasions.It is 304.2 square kilometers in...

. Though the exact route has not been finalized, construction may commence before the end of 2010.

History

In 2009, Line 16 was among the 198 major urban planning projects listed by the city’s development and reform commission. At that time, Line 16 was slated to run about 35km from Huilongguan in Changping District

Changping District

Changping District , formerly Changping County , is situated in the suburbs of northwest Beijing.Changping District, covering an area of 1,430 square kilometers, has 2 subdistricts of the city of Changping and 15 towns with total population of 614,821...

 to Huaxiang in Fengtai.

According to the June 2010 plans, Line 16 in the far north will take the place of Line 4’s northern extension and run 48 km from Beianhe in Haidian District south to Xiaoyueyuan near the Marco Polo Bridge in Fengtai District.

The line will begin near Beianhe, and provide access to parts of Haidian, north of the foothills the Western Hills

Western Hills

The Western Hills refers to the hills and mountains in the western part of Beijing.- Geography :Being an extension of the Taihang mountain range from Hebei Province, the Western Hills cover about 17% of Beijing municipality including most of Mentougou and Fangshan Districts as well as parts of...

 that extend into district. For this reason, the line is also called the Haidian Back Mountain Line because it begins on the backside of the low-lying range that extends from the Fragrant Hills

Fragrant Hills

Fragrant Hills Park is a public park at the foot of the Western Mountains in the Haidian District, in the northwestern part of Beijing, China. It covers 1.6 km² and consists of a natural pine-cypress forest, hills with maple trees, smoke trees and persimmon trees, as well as landscaped areas with...

 to the Summer Palace

Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is a palace in Beijing, China. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometers, three quarters of which is water....

. Points of interest that the line may pass along route to Xiaoyueyuan in the south include the Summer Palace, Haidian Gymnasium, National Library

National Library of China

The National Library of China or NLC in Beijing is the largest library in Asia, and one of the largest in the world with a collection of over 23 million volumes...

, Purple Bamboo Park

Purple Bamboo Park

Purple Bamboo Park is one of the seven largest parks in Beijing, China. It is located in the Haidian District of northwestern Beijing....

, Beijing Zoo

Beijing Zoo

The Beijing Zoo is a zoological park in Beijing, China. Located in the Xicheng District, the zoo occupies an area of 89 hectares , including 5.6 hectares of lakes and ponds . It is one of the oldest zoos in China and has one of the largest animal collections in the country...

, Chegongzhuan West Road, Sanlihe, Wanshou Temple

Wanshou Temple

The Wanshou Temple is a temple located at the Suzhou Jie in Beijing. In addition to being a Buddhist temple, the Wanshou Temple also houses the Beijing Art Museum....

, Lize Financial District, and the Fengtai Railway Station.

The June proposal was scaled back in the December 2010 plan, under which Line 16 will run 23 km from Suzhoujie, on Line 10 south to Yushuzhuang in Fengtai District.