Line 2 (Beijing Subway)

Line 2 of the Beijing Subway (Chinese: 北京地铁2号线; pinyin: běijīng dìtiě èrhào xiàn) is a rapid transit rail line in central Beijing that runs in a rectangular loop around the city centre. The line traces the Ming dynasty inner city wall, which was demolished and paved over by the 2nd Ring Road and Qianmen Avenue to make room. [citation needed] Line 2, opened in 1984, is the second oldest and one of the busiest of Beijing's subway lines, and to date the only one to serve Beijing railway station. All 18 stations on the 23.1 km (14.4 mi) line are underground. 13 of the 18 stations offer transfers to other lines. Line 2's color is dark blue on official maps, signage, and station.

Hours of Operation

Because Line 2 is a loop line with no true terminus, trains are identified as either running on the inner loop (内环; nèihuán), going in the clockwise direction, or on the outer loop (外环; wàihuán), going in the counter-clockwise direction. However, trains returning to the Taipinghu Depot either terminate at Xizhimen or Jishuitan; passengers are asked to wait for a full loop line train at these stations.[citation needed]

The first inner loop train departs Jishuitan at 5:03am. The first outer loop train departs Xizhimen at 5:09am. The last inner loop train leaves Jishuitan at 10:55pm. The last outer loop train leaves Xizhimen at 11:14pm. For the official timetable, please see the Beijing Subway website.

Route

Line 2 encircles the old city center districts of Dongcheng and Xicheng and skirts the western edge of Chaoyang.[citation needed] The entire line runs underground.[citation needed]

List of Stations

Eleven of Line 2's eighteen stations are named after gates in the old city wall. These stations end in men, meaning gate. The twelfth gate, Deshengmen, is near Jishuitan station.[citation needed] The following table lists Line 2 stations in the outer loop or counter-clockwise order, starting from the station with the lowest numbered code.

• Chegongzhuang Station
• Qianmen Station
• Dongsi Shitiao Station
• Dongzhimen Station
• Fuxingmen Station

History

On September 20, 1984, the first section Line 2 opened between Fuxingmen and Jianguomen. The line was a 16.1 km (10.0 mi) long upside down "horseshoe" along the west, north and east 2nd Ring Road, with 12 stations. On December 28, 1987, the line was extended from the terminals of Fuxingmen and Jianguomen, connecting the line with the original section of Line 1 between Changchun Jie and Beijing railway station. The completed line was called the "Beijing Subway Loop" and is 23 km (14 mi) long with 18 stations. Since January 2002, the line was renamed as "Line 2".

Other Facts

The rolling stock maintenance facility is located at Taipinghu, near Jishuitan station.[citation needed]

Rolling Stock

The line uses what retroactively were termed as type B rolling stock, although at the time they were simply the standard metro trains in China, early generation trains having dimensions closer to type C rolling stock.

Current

Former