Line 3, Beijing Subway

Line 3 of the Beijing Subway (Chinese: 北京地铁3号线; pinyin: běijīng dìtiě sān hàoxiàn) is a rapid transit rail line under planning in Beijing. The line is part of the planned network of the Beijing Subway for 2020, and is slated to run east–west through the city centre, parallel to Line 6.^[1]

History

Line 3's route has undergone substantial changes on the planners' drawing board. In the late 1990s, one draft of the subway plan showed Line 3 running from Xiaomeichang to Cuigezhuang. Half of that route was then folded into Line 6.^[1][2] In 2010 and 2011, Line 3 was mentioned in the development plans of other subway lines.

• The plan for Line 6 unveiled in March 2010 indicated that the Dongsi Station will be a transfer station for Lines 3, 5 and 6.^[3]
• The plan for Line 16 as of May 2011 indicated that the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse Station will be a transfer station for Line 3.^[1]
• The plan for Line 9 as of September 2011 indicated that the Baiduizi Station will be a transfer station for Line 3.^[4]

By January 2012, the Line 3's western section was slated to run east from Tiancun in Haidian District under Fushi Lu to Fuchengmen for an interchange with Line 2.^[5] In March 15, 2012, Line 3 was reportedly planned to run from Tiancun to the eastern suburbs of Beijing in Gaoxinzhuang and Pingfang and to be built by 2020.^[6]

In June 2012, Beijing media reported the following stations planned for Line 3 (from west to east):^[7]

In January 2013, subway planners were examining whether to extend the Line 3 through the city centre given the concentration of historic relics in the area.^[8] By February 2013, they indicated that Line 3 may criss-cross Line 6 near the city centre and share track with Line 6 between Nanluoguxiang and Dongsi.^[9] In January 2014, it was reported that Line 3 will have 27 stations, with up to 16 transfer stations, including Ganjiakou on Line 16 and Zhangzizhonglu on Line 5.^[10] The station plan for Ganjiakou had been released in 2013 by Beijing Municipal Commission of Urban Planning, which depicted the Line 3 platform built over that of Line 16.^[11] In February 2014, an official was quoted as saying that " Line 6 would run along Dianmendajie, not Jingshanqianjie, with 3 stations paralleling from Ping'anli to Nanluoguxiang."^[12] Line 3 could begin construction by the end of 2014 and enter operations in 2020.^[9] Line 3 originally planned to use 6 car B type trains, but was revised to use high capacity 8 car A type trains to cope with the high passenger demand projected for the line.^[13]

References