Expats have long gotten used to taking taxis in Beijing, especially when they head out to the notorious Sanlitun bar district. But with taxis getting harder to find these days, they might be happy to learn the Beijing Metro is set to open a dedicated Sanlitun subway stop on the future Line 17, set to be finished in 2019.
The station will be located at Beijing Worker’s Stadium, home of the Guo’an football team and close to many of the city’s expat bars and restaurants. Also intersecting the station will be Line 3, a planned east-west subway line.
Beijing Metro Line 17 will be Beijing’s longest-ever north-south route at 49.7 kilometers. Line 17 will be an express train that will reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. It will pass through the districts of Tongzhou, Chaoyang, Dongcheng, and Changping.
Another feature of Line 17 is that ten of the line’s 20 stations will be transfer station. However, one line it won’t connect with is the airport express line.
Much as the way the Shanghai Metro has blossomed over a decade, Beijing still has a way to go before its infrastructure plans are completed. This year will see work being on Line 3, the eastern part of Line 7, Line 12, Line 17, Line 19, and the new Beijing airport to the south of the city.
Click here for a larger view of the map showing the future Beijing Metro.
