Beijing Metro Line 4 北京地铁四号线
Anne Lin
The highly anticipated new Beijing Subway Line 4 opened on 28 September 2009, a few days before the nationwide 60th anniversary celebrations after construction began in 2004.
The metro line running 28.2 kilometres with 24 stations is represented by an aqua blue or teal colour on the official Beijing subway map and passes through several notable transfer hubs including Xizhimen 西直门, Haidian Huangzhuang 海淀黄庄, Xidan 西单, Xuanwumen 宣武门 and Jiaomen West 角门西.
At each of these stops Beijing commuters can connect onto a different line on the Beijing subway system, including Line 10, Line 2, Line 13 and Line 1. Beijing Metro Line 4 also has a stop at Taoranting Park 陶然亭公园 and Beijing South Railway Station for HSTs to the port city of Tianjin.
What is significant about this new Beijing metro line is that it will make it easier for those residing in Beijing's north-east region to connect to central and southern parts of the city, servicing through Fengtai, Xuanwu, Xicheng and Haidian districts with a total number of 24 subway stops.
First trains begin around 5 am and end at 10.45 pm.
Connecting on Line 4
When riding the line, I noticed that the English announcements and had a slight British accent with improved English voice-over translations.
Before this line was in operation, the transfer at Xizhimen station was loathed by commuters as being perceived as the longest and most painful walk from one line to another. Now the walk from Line 4 to Line 13 is only about 1 minute, and the Line 4 to Line 2 transfer takes roughly the same time. However, the Line 2 to Line 13 transfer is still the longest walk, taking about 3 minutes.
Reports by China Radio International said that the new Line 4 is estimated to move a staggering 400,000 passengers a day.
The train will take only 50 minutes to get from the most northerly station, Anheqiao 安河桥北 to the final destination Gongyixiqiao 公益西桥.
Line 4 is unique because it is not state owned and operated. Instead, it was built and will be partly operated by three groups, Hong Kong MTR Corporation, Beijing Capital Group and Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co.
Thus the aesthetic design of the new line is very reminiscent of the Hong Kong MTR system, a true model of public transport efficiency.
Line 4 has plenty of signage to direct human traffic flow, well-marked exit routes, and more clearly marked arrows to help passengers embark and disembark from the platforms to the trains.
New additions on the platforms include hanging LCD screens scattered along the platform, much like what is in place in the Shanghai Subway, with each featuring a countdown clock of the next arriving train. Inside every single subway carriage are emergency contact points, clearly listing the exact carriage number and a button to press to speak to an operator if there are any problems.
Notable stops on Beijing Metro Line 4
* Beigongmen 北宫门
This is the closest subway stop to reach the Summer Palace, bringing tourists literally right to the doorstep of this attraction, without needing to get off previously at Wudaokou to hop in a taxi or bus to reach the Summer Palace. A few stops before this subway stop is Yuanmingyuan Park, also known as the Old Summer Palace.
* Haidian Huangzhuang 海淀黄庄
What is known as the mini-CBD or Silicon Valley of Beijing, this stop connects people to the bustling district of Zhongguanchun and its surrounding areas. Hyped as the place to do foreign business, this developed shopping hub is filled with all the computer ware to satisfy your gadgetry needs. As well various new malls complete with cinemas, brand shops and supermarket giant Carrefour, a popular 'hangout spot' due to its close proximity to universities (Tsinghua, Peking, Renmin University). This stop also connects with Line 10.
* East Peking University Station 北京大学东门
This station is less than a kilometre from the Haidian Huangzhuang station, which begs the question as to why there needs to be another station so close to the university but the subway planners clearly have their reason. Now with a dedicated stop to the east gate, Peking University students no longer need to get off at the popular student-ville station, Wudaokou 五道口 to bus/bike the extra 2 kilometres to their campus.
* Beijing Zoo / Dongwuyuan 动物圆
Beijing Zoo now has a dedicated stop on the map which will mean that those travelling to the zoo will no longer need to walk from Xizhimen, thus minimising congestion at the already overcrowded Xizhimen transfer. The station has an animal themed wall mural that greets commuters, which was a real crowd pleaser with lots of people stopping to take pictures of it.
* Xidan 西单
The number one shopping precinct in the middle of the city, Xidan is now easily reachable without shoppers having to go via the old Line 1. Xidan offers a variety of things including big name shops in malls (Joy City), market style bargain shopping and hotels.
* Xuanwumen 宣武门
This stop allows commuters to transfer to Line 1 and head downtown to the eastern suburbs of Guomou and Jianwai Soho district.
* Beijing South Railway Station 地铁北京南站
What a blessing Line 4 is to those departing and arriving at the interchange station for intercity trains with the Beijing South Railway Station. Travelers only have to arrive at the subway station, and transfer up to the upper levels to buy their tickets and catch the super high-speed rail to other major cities including Tianjin.
Subway in Chinese Characters
In Chinese, subway/underground is D tiĕ', and it's written 地铁.
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