[Photo via VCG]

Beijing's 2023 Key Project Plan was officially released on March 2. Among this year's 300 city-level key projects, 100 are infrastructure ones, including 12 subways and six railways.

Among the 12 subways, only the branch line of Line 1 is a new project, while the other 11 ones are continuation projects, namely the remaining section of Line 16, Line 12, remaining sections of Line 17 and Phase I of Changping Line south extension, the new airport line's north extension, Phase II of Line 6 (southern extension), capacity expansion and upgrading project of Line 13, Phase I of Line M101, Line 28 (CBD Line), Line 22 (Pinggu Line), and Phase I of Line 3.

The 19.9-kilometer-long Line 1 branch line, linking Fengtai District and Shijingshan District, runs from Qinglonghu East Station in the west to Line 1 Bajiao Amusement Park Station in the east, and has nine stations and a new parking lot. The branch line is an important rail transit project in the western part of the central urban area. The implementation of the project can relieve Beijing of functions nonessential for the capital, fill the gap of rail transit services in Hexi area of Fengtai District, and support the building and functional improvement of areas with key functions in the region. Centering on the agglomeration of urban functions around the rail stations, the project strives to serve and promote the high-quality development of Hexi area.

Another high-profile subway line is the Phase I of Line M101, the first line in the internal rail network of the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center (BMC). The project's implementation will support the development of BMC's spatial structure, drive BMC's industrial upgrading, and help build Tongzhou West Railway Station and BMC Railway Station into transport hubs, thus coordinating with the multi-level transportation network and realizing integrated development in line with the region's functions. This 18.1-kilometer-long subway line, located in Tongzhou District, starts from the Business Park Station in the north to the Zhangjiawan East Station in the south, and has 14 stations and a parking lot in Fuhao Village.

Among the six railways, the Yizhuang Line of the Beijing Suburban Railway and the Beijing tunnel section of the Beijing-Tangshan intercity railway are new projects, and the remaining four are continuation projects including the intercity railway connectivity line (Phase I), Northeast Ring Line of Beijing Suburban Railway, the overall upgrading project of the Sub-center Line of Beijing Suburban Railway (the section from Beijing West Railway Station to Liangxiang), and the Line S6 of Beijing Suburban Railway (the section from Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport to Daxing Xincheng).

(Source: Beijing Daily)