The 'purple line' connecting the north to the south

Beijing Subway Line 5 will provide relief for the north-south traffic congestion

(BEIJING, September 29) -- Testing of the new Beijing Subway Line 5 with empty subway trains is near completion, and the new north-south line of the Beijing Subway will be ready to take passengers in the next week. Line 5 is scheduled to open to the public on October 7.

The construction of Line 5 began on December 28, 2002 and took nearly five years to complete. At 27.6 km long, this 23-stop north-south subway line starts at the Tiantongyuan North terminal station and ends at Songjiazhuang terminal station.

The trains will travel at a maximum speed of 80 km/h and with an average speed of 36 km/h. The entire trip from terminal to terminal takes 40 minutes, and the interval between trains will be no more than four minutes.

Stainless steel Line 5 train

Line 5 incorporates passenger-friendly considerations in terms of safety and navigation. This is the first subway line in Beijing to have a passenger navigation system, and subway riders will be able to locate the subway stations and find their way around the subway stations with ease.

The subway cars of Line 5 are the most advanced cars produced in China today and are the first subway cars to be constructed entirely of stainless steel. At 20-m wide and 50-tall, they are the most spacious cars of the Beijing Subway and have capacity for 1,424 persons.

Line 5 is identifiable by its unique purple passenger handgrips and handrails.

Unique violet-colored passenger handgrips