Testing underway for Beijing's new airport metro line

The new Metro Airport Line in Beijing has begun no-load trial runs on Saturday. Running over 41 kilometers, Project I includes three new stations along the route to the new Daxing International Airport.

A diver tests the new Metro Airport Line in Beijing on June 15, 2019. [Photo: IC]

The trains are designed to run at speeds of up to 160 kilometers per hour, but are expected to average speeds of 117 kilometers per hour during regular service. Officials expect to have Project I fully operational for the opening of the new airport in September.

Meanwhile, officials say that Project II on the Metro New Airport Line is scheduled to be completed and operational by the end of 2021, taking the total length of the new airport line to just under 45 kilometers.

View of a driver-less testing train on Beijing's new Metro Airport Line, January 29, 2019. [File photo: VCG]

Officials add they expect to release information about both fares and running times shortly.

Construction of the new Metro Airport Line began at the end of 2016. Once completed, the line will be able to transport passengers from central Beijing to the Daxing International Airport in around 20 minutes.

The new line already boasts a number of domestic records, including the fastest speed for an urban metro line at a maximum of 160km/h. It's also the first in Beijing to be built through a Public-Private Partnership, and is the fastest-built line in the Beijing Metro system.

Aerial view of the Beijing Daxing International Airport under construction, April 29, 2019. [File photo: IC]