Beijing to launch driverless subway

Beijing will launch three rail lines, including a driverless subway, on Saturday, the municipal transport commission announced Friday.

A metro train runs on the Yanfang line, Beijing's first driverless subway line, during a debugging run in Beijing on February 17, 2017. [Photo: IC]

Located in Beijing's southwest suburbs, the Yanfang Line is China's first fully domestically developed automated subway. It has nine stations on its 14.4-km main line, linking the areas of Yanshan and Fangshan. The line is expected to carry 70,000 passengers daily.

Also to start operating Saturday is the 10.2-km Line S1, Beijing's first medium-low speed maglev line. It connects the western suburban districts of Mentougou and Shijingshan.

The third is the 9-km West Suburb Line connecting tourist spots such as the Summer Palace and the Fragrant Hills in northwest Beijing.

After the launch, Beijing will have 22 metro rail lines spanning 608 km.