Checkerboard Hill

Ghost platforms on the Beijing Subway at Dongsishitiao

Posted on May 11, 2022 by Marcus Wong

During my time wandering around the Beijing Subway I found a variety of stations to exploring, but the one that had me asking questions was at Dongsishitiao on Line 2.

Going for a wander

Opened in 1984, Dongsishitiao looks much like any other station build during the early phase of subway construction in Beijing.

With an island platform.

Mosaic murals on the walls.

Stairs at the end of the platform.

Connecting to an overhead bridge.

But in the middle of the platform was something off – a set of locked up stairs.

Leading down into a basement.

So where did they lead?

A ghost platform

When I got home, Wikipedia gave me the answer – it’s a whole other platform!

Photo by N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons

Which has lay idle for years.

The lower level of Dongsishitiao Station has a reserved platform for the future Line 3. The platform was built during the construction of Dongsishitiao Station, but its use was shelved because the construction plan of Line 3 was changed many times.
Although cleaners come to clean from time to time, a layer of dust has accumulated on the platform, especially at both ends of the platform, and there are slogans such as “Eliminate the Four Harms” left over from the early days on the walls. There are only simple movable railings at the entrance and no guards, so sometimes curious passengers enter this platform.

Idle so long that it no longer meets current standards.

The platform was designed to serve 6 car trains and Type B carriages. However, when construction on Line 3 was planned to restart in 2016, it was intended to use 8 car trains and Type A cars, so the existing reserved platform cannot be used. As a result the decision was made to convert the original reserved platform to a transfer hall, and build a replacement platform deeper underground for Line 3.

The construction of Beijing Subway Line 3 is a saga in itself.

In 1973, the Beijing subway plan was expanded from “one ring and two lines” to eight lines.
At this time, the northwest section of Line 3 was similar to the original Phase III project, but it did not stop at Xizhimen, but went all the way east through Dongsishitiao and turned towards the Capital Airport. According to the plan, the Xiyi section of Line 3 and the section from Gongti to Jiuxianqiao will be constructed between 1976 and 1980, and the Xizhimen to Gongti section will be constructed between 1980 and 1985.
But no matter which section it was, it could not be constructed as scheduled. At that time, the second phase of the subway project had not yet been completed, and the planning of Line 3 had also undergone adjustments. For example, in 1983, the west end of Line 3 was extended to Xiangshan; in 1993, the northeast section of Line 3 was added to Wangjing. “The scale of the city is getting bigger and bigger, and the changes of Line 3 also took into account the needs of development at that time.” Wan Xuehong said.
In the 1990s, Line 3 was put on the agenda again. Then 1999, the Line 13 was added in the adjustment of the line network. This is the current line 13, and construction was started in 1999, and line 3 was then put down again.
After several balances, Line 3 was formally shelved during the last round of construction plans, and it did not appear in the 2007 version of the recent plan. It was not until the 2015 version of the Beijing subway plan that Line 3 reappeared.

But Line 3 will eventually open in 2023, almost 40 years after the station for Line 2 opened.

And reserved platforms elsewhere on Line 2

The construction of Beijing Metro Line 2 Phase II saw six out of the 12 new stations provided with reserved platforms for interchange with future lines.

Fuxingmen Station: transfer platform with the west section of Line 1, opened on 28 December 1987.
Jianguomen Station: transfer platform with east section of Line 1, opened 28 September 1999.
Xizhimen Station: transfer platform with proposed Line 3, opened as Line 4 on 28 September 2009.
Jishuitan Station: transfer passage with proposed Line 4, opened as transfer to Line 19 on 31 December 2021.
Yonghegong (Lama Temple) Station: transfer platform with Line 5, opened on 7 October 2007 as a staggered island platform, using one reserved track alongside a widened island platform.

And the sixth one – Dongsishitiao.

Footnote: carriage sizes

Metro trains in China are built to two major standards – 3.0 meter wide Type A trains, and 2.8 meter wide Type B trains.

Further reading

Exploring the ghost station – Dongsishitiao Station photo essay by Li Rui
More ghost stations: Beijing Subway restricted stations at Wikipedia

Posted in Transport | Tagged abandoned, Beijing, Beijing Subway, China, underground, urban exploration, urbex | Leave a comment

Standard metro trains of China

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Marcus Wong

With the past 20 years having seen an explosion in new metro systems being built in cities across China, a number of standards have developed for the trains that run their tracks. Here is a quick summary of the different standards they are built to.

Type A

Type A trains are the highest capacity metro train used in China, and are powered by 1500V DC overhead.

Photo by MasaneMiyaPA, via Wikimedia Commons

Carriages of Type A trains are:

22 metres long
3.0 meters wide
five doors per side
carry 310 passengers
negotiate curves down to 300 meters radius
climb gradients up to 3.5%
support a line capacity of 45,000 to 70,000 passengers/hour

Line using Type A trains include.

Beijing Subway: Line 3, Line 11, Line 12, Line 14, Line 16, Line 17, Line 19
Tianjin Metro: Line 7, Line 8
Shanghai Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 7, Line 9, Line 10, Line 11, Line 12, Line 13, Line 14, Line 15, Line 16, Line 17, Line 18
Guangzhou Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 8, Line 11, Line 12, Line 13
Nanjing Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 10
Shenzhen Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 4, Line 5, Line 6, Line 7, Line 8, Line 9, Line 10, Line 11, Line 12, Line 13, Line 14, Line 15, Line 16, Line 17, Line 18, Line 19, Line 20, Line 21, Line 22, Line 23, Line 24, Line 25, Line 26 Line, Line 27, Line 28 ,Line 29, Line 30, Line 31, Line 32
Wuhan Metro: Line 5, Line 6, Line 7, Line 8, Line 10, Line 11, Line 12, Line 16, Xingang Line, Yangluo Line
Chengdu Metro: Line 5, Line 6, Line 7, Line 8, Line 9, Line 10
Hangzhou Metro: Line 7, Line 8, Line 10
Shijiazhuang Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3
Urumqi Metro: Line 1
Changsha Metro: Line 6
Zhengzhou Metro: Line 5
Taiyuan Metro: Line 1, Line 2

Type B

Type B trains are slightly smaller then Type A, allowing them to run on more constrained rail corridors, and can be powered by 1500V DC overhead or 750V DC third rail.

Photo by N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons

Carriages of Type B trains are:

19 metres long
2.8 meters wide
four doors per side
carry 240 passengers
negotiate curves down to 250 meters radius
climb gradients up to 3.5%
support a line capacity of 25,000 to 50,000 passengers/hour

Lines using third rail powered Type B1 vehicles include:

Beijing Subway: Line 1, Line 2, Line 4, Line 5, Line 7, Line 8, Line 9, Line 10, Line 13, Line 15, Daxing Line, Fangshan Line, 8 Tong Line, Yizhuang Line, Changping Line, Yanfang Line
Tianjin Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3
Wuhan Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4
Shenzhen Metro: Line 3
Guangzhou Metro: Line 14, Line 21
Kunming Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 6
Qingdao Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 8, Line 11, Line 13
Wuxi Metro: Line 1, Line 2

And using overhead powered Type B2 vehicles.

Beijing Subway: Line 6
Tianjin Metro: Line 4, Line 5, Line 6, Line 9, Line 10, Line 11
Nanjing Metro: Line 4, Line S1, Line S3, Line S7, Line S8, Line S9
Chengdu Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4
Suzhou Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 4
Chongqing Rail Transit: Line 1, Line 6
Zhengzhou Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 14, Suburban Line
Xi’an Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 14
Shenyang Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 4, Line 9, Line 10
Guangzhou Metro: Line 3, Line 7, Line 9, Line 10, Line 14, Line 21
Guangzhou Metro, Foshan Metro: Guangfo Line
Foshan Metro: Line 2, Line 3
Hangzhou Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 4, Line 9, Line 16
Shaoxing Metro: Keqiao Line (connected with Shaoxing Metro Line 1)
Ningbo Metro: Line 1, Line 2
Hefei Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3
Harbin Metro: Line 1, Line 3
Changchun Rail Transit: Line 1, Line 2
Changsha Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, Line 5
Dalian Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 12
Dongguan Metro: Line 2
Fuzhou Metro: Line 1
Guiyang Rail Transit: Line 1
Nanchang Metro: Line 1, Line 2
Nanning Metro: Line 1, Line 2, Line 3
Xiamen Metro: Line 1
Jinan Metro: Line 1, Line 3
Luoyang Metro: Line 1

Type C

Type C trains are smaller again.

Photo by Le Concorde, via Wikimedia Commons

Carriages of Type C trains are:

18.9 metres long
2.6 meters wide
carry 200 – 240 passengers
negotiate curves down to 50 meters radius
climb gradients up to 6%
support a line capacity of 10,000 to 30,000 passengers/hour

Compared to the other types, they see very limited use.

Changchun Rail Transit: Line 3, Line 4, Line 8
Shanghai Metro: Line 5, Line 6, Line 8

Derivative types

Type A_s trains were built specially for the Chongqing Rail Transit system.

Photo by Junyi Lou, via Wikimedia Commons

Their size is midway between the Type A and Type B trains, being able to negotiate steeper grades and sharper curves in mountainous environments.

19.0 metres long
3.0 meters wide
carry 254-266 passengers
negotiate curves down to 250 meters radius
climb gradients up to 5%
support a line capacity of 25,000 to 50,000 passengers/hour

These trains are only used in Chongqing.

Chongqing Rail Transit: Line 4, Line 5, Line 9, Line 10, Ring Line

Type A_H trains were specially made for Hangzhou Metro.

Photo by N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons

Their size is midway between the Type A and Type B trains.

19.52 metres long
3.0 meters wide
carry 254 passengers
negotiate curves down to 250 meters radius
climb gradients up to 3.5%
support a line capacity of 25,000 to 50,000 passengers/hour

These trains are only used in Hangzhou.

Hangzhou Metro: Line 3, Line 5, Line 6

Type L_B trains are powered by linear motors.

Photo by TONY LU, via Wikimedia Commons

They are slightly smaller than Type B trains, and can negotiate steeper grades and sharper curves.

16.8 metres long
2.8 meters wide
carry 215-240 passengers
negotiate curves down to 100 meters radius
climb gradients up to 6%
support a line capacity of 25,000 to 40,000 passengers/hour

But have not been widely deployed.

Guangzhou Metro: Line 4, Line 5, Line 6
Beijing Subway: Capital Airport Line, Line 28

And ‘Urban’ trains

These electric multiple units trains are used on the longer Chinese metro lines.

Photo by N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons

Type A ‘Urban’ trains.

22 metres long
3 meters wide

Used on.

Chengdu Metro: Line 17, Line 18, Line 19
Hangzhou Metro: Airport Express
Fuzhou Metro: Binhai Express
Wuhan Metro: Line 19
Shanghai Metro: Chongming Line

Type B ‘Urban’ trains.

19 metres long
2.8 meters wide

Nanjing Metro: Line S6
Zhejiang Rail Transit: Haining Line
Jinhua Rail Transit: Jinyi East Line

Type D ‘Urban’ trains.

22 metres long
3.3 meters wide

Beijing Subway: Daxing Airport Line, Pinggu Line
Guangzhou Metro: Line 18, Line 22
Wenzhou Rail Transit: Line S1, Line S2
Chongqing Rail Transit: Line 15, Line 27

So which type of train?

Type A trains are higher capacity due to their larger size, with a 6-car Type A train carrying the same number of passengers as a 8-car Type B train.

However despite tunnels bored using a standard 5.2 meter TBM being large enough to support both Type A and Type B trains, Type B trains have become the choice of train for new build metro systems across China.

The exception is the core lines of the metro systems in major cities which use larger Type A trains, a handful of cities were physical constraints have limited the size of trains used, and a handful of one-off standards which have not been adopted.

Footnote: data in table form

Vehicle Type	Vehicle length (m)	Vehicle width (m)	Capacity	Curve radius (m)	Max gradient (%)	Capacity (10,000 pax/hour)
Type A	22.0	3.0-3.08	310	300	3.5	4.5-7.0
Type B	19.0	2.8-2.88	240	250	3.5	2.5-5.0
Type C	18.9	2.6	200-315	50	6.0	1.0-3.0
Type AS	19.0	3.0-3.08	254-266	250	5.0	2.5-5.0
Type AH	19.52	3.0-3.08	254	250	3.5	2.5-5.0
Type LB	16.8	2.8	215-240	100	6.0	2.5-4.0
Urban Type A	22.0	3.0	–	350	3.0	–
Urban Type B	19.0	2.8	–	300	3.0	–
Urban Type D	22.0	3.3	–	400	3.0	–

Sources

城市轨道交通列车车型#中国大陆 at Chinese-language Wikipedia
“The Necessity Of Adopting Type A Vehicles In My Country’s Large-Scale Urban Rail Transit Trunk Network” (Chinese language)
Chinese standard GB/T 7928-2003 – General technical specification for metro vehicles

Posted in Transport | Tagged Beijing, Beijing Subway, China, mainland, metros, rail operations, railway, Shanghai, Shanghai Metro, standards, trains, underground, Xian, Xian Metro | 1 Comment

Hong Kong buses with doors on both sides

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Marcus Wong

I’ve written before about traffic in Hong Kong and Macau that drives on the left, vehicles in mainland China drive on the right, and how vehicles on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge switch from one side to the other – but how do the passengers onboard cross-border buses avoid stepping out in traffic? With two sets of doors!

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Shuttle Bus

Nicknamed “Golden Bus”, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Shuttle Bus company operates a shuttle service from the HZMB Hong Kong Port to the HZMB Zhuhai Port and HZMB Macau Port terminals, using a fleet of right-hand drive double-deck buses.

Photo by N509FZ, via Wikimedia Commons

But with a second set of passenger doors on the right-hand side of the bus.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

They also have a number of similarly equipped single-deck low-floor buses.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

In addition to a handful of high-floor road coaches.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

These buses were delivered in 2018, with the door on the right side catching the eye of netizens.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge will be opened to traffic this year. In the future, citizens can use different means of transport to travel between the three places via the bridge. One of the cheaper ways is to take the shuttle bus.
Some netizens recently photographed a “Golden bus” believed to be a bridge shuttle bus. The front position of the bus is marked with the words “Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao”. Although it is a double-decker bus on the right, its design is different from that of the bus door in Hong Kong, which is located on the left. There are doors on both sides of the “Jinba” body, which is believed to be compatible with the different driving modes of the three places.
According to the Tender Document for Shuttle Buses of the Bridge, the operator is required to provide 90 to 140 shuttle buses for daily operation and no more than 30 spare buses. The shuttle bus will operate 24 hours a day in conjunction with the bridge, with an average of no more than 5 minutes during peak hours, 10 to 15 minutes during non-peak hours, and 15 to 30 minutes during overnight hours. It is reported that the shuttle bus fare will be “flatter than the boat”, and the one-way fare will be less than HK$100.

Huanggang-Lok Ma Chau Shuttle Bus

Nicknamed “Emperor Bus”, the Huanggang-Lok Ma Chau Shuttle Bus is another cross border service, using normal right-hand drive low-floor buses.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

However they once operated a handful of Scania L94UB buses which had a second door on the right side of the body.

Photo by The original uploader was LG4761 at Chinese Wikipedia., via Wikimedia Commons

And other operators

Tour operators in Hong Kong such as China Travel Service operate right-hand drive coaches, registered for cross-border use, and provided with doors on the right-hand side for kerbside boarding when parked in mainland China.

As do the operators of the Sheung Shui to Man Kam To Control Point shuttle bus.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

The Hong Kong – Macau Express service.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

And “Motor Transport Company Of Guangdong And Hong Kong“.

Photo by LN9267, via Wikimedia Commons

Posted in Transport | Tagged buses, China, driving, Hong Kong, Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, mainland, motoring, on the road | 2 Comments

Shanghai to Beijing by high speed train

Posted on March 30, 2022 by Marcus Wong

Continuing my recent theme of travels across mainland China, today we’re retracing my journey from Shanghai to Beijing by high speed train.

Getting to the station

I made my way from my hotel across Shanghai by metro.

Arriving at Hongqiao Railway Station.

I rode the escalator up a level.

And another.

Until I could finally see the sky again.

Now – which ticket office do I need to go to?

Luckily I had already organised my ticket ahead of time, so just had to pick it up.

Then head off to the waiting room.

Which was massive.

You need to pass through a security checkpoint on the way in.

And put your luggage through an x-ray machine.

But once inside, there are seats everywhere.

Boarding gates along the walls.

And stalls selling snacks.

Finally time to board.

Everyone lines up to have their tickets checked.

Then down an escalator to platform level.

Time for a quick photo before departure.

And at 11am on the dot, away we go.

Departing Shanghai

Shanghai Hongqiao Station has 30 tracks, serving trains across multiple high-speed rail routes, including the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway my train was using.

I was sitting in first class.

A copy of the ‘People’s Railway Daily’ newspaper in my seatback.

After leaving the station, we paralleled a CRH2 high-speed train out of Shanghai.

And passed through an array of flyovers leading back towards the platforms.

Down below, the Hongqiao EMU Depot.

With sidings that went on for seemingly forever.

Maintenance facility for the hundreds of high-speed trains based in Shanghai.

And into the countryside

The outskirts of Shanghai were covered with tiled roofs.

Our train soon hit it’s top speed of 301 km/h.

We soon passed the shores of Yangcheng Lake.

Located 60 kilometres out of Shanghai.

Apartment blocks beside European-style houses.

Our train passed over many freeways.

Fields and village houses.

Power lines.

And even a ferris wheel atop a shopping centre!

First stop – Nanjing South

For much of the journey, we were speeding through minor stations at 300 km/h.

Until we approached the junction station of Nanjing South.

We passed over roads leading to nowhere.

As the number of tracks multiplied.

Until we arrived into the platform.

Then after a quick stop, we were off again.

Into the mountains

As we continued north towards Beijing, we passed the shadows of Mount Tai.

Power lines.

Running parallel to the ‘old’ Beijing-Shanghai railway.

Overtaking slower locomotive hauled passenger trains.

And even slower freight services.

Second stop – Jinan West

We came back into urban life on the outskirts of Jinan.

Greeted by railway viaducts.

And a traction power substation.

Before we arrived at Jinan West station.

We were timetabled there for a few minutes, I stepped out for a quick photo.

As did the smokers for a cigarette break.

Then away we went, passing another railway junction.

And over the Yellow River.

Into Hebei province

Fields and apartment blocks greeted me to Cangzhou.

And a massive coal fired power station.

We flew over a ‘normal’ speed railway.

And a freeway.

Another freeway.

A third one.

And a fourth.

A “confinement farm” for dairy cows.

Chinese-style ‘passive solar’ greenhouses.

And new apartment developments creeping across the countryside.

Third stop – Tianjin West

New apartment blocked towered over the traditional houses of Tianjin.

Tower cranes everywhere.

We sped past the offices of German engineering firm Siemens.

And a sea of blue roofed industrial buildings.

And another coal fired power station.

Then a quick station stop – and off again.

And finally into Beijing

Our high-speed train was now running parallel with the ‘conventional’ railway.

Our train speeding past loaded freight trains.

And shunting yards.

We passed People’s Liberation Army equipment located onto a military train.

And slower local passenger trains.

Chimneys welcoming us to the outskirts of Beijing.

Along with telecommunication towers.

Traffic on the roads.

And an Ikea store.

Finally, more tracks joined our route.

And we finally arrived into Beijing South railway station at 3:55pm – 4 hours 55 minutes after we left Shanghai.

The end

Time to say goodbye to our train.

A train driver salutes his departing colleague.

As the train sets off into the sunset.

As I end the day the same way I started – a subway ride to my hotel.

Posted in Transport | Tagged Beijing, China, China Railway High-speed, China Railways, high speed trains, Shanghai | 2 Comments

Railfan’s guide to Shanghai, China

Posted on March 16, 2022 by Marcus Wong

My 2013 visit to Shanghai was only for a few days, so I didn’t get much time to look around the city. None the less, here are a few suggested places for a railfan to visit.

The obvious

The Shanghai Maglev is the obvious first thing to check out – it run from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to the outskirts of central Pudong.

From there you can explore the Shanghai Metro.

Line 4 having elevated tracks.

And Line 2 has stations without platform screen doors.

The Pudong Airport end of Line 2 is another section of elevated tracks.

Haitiansan Road Station allowing you to watch Shanghai Maglev trains speed past at 431 km/h.

The odd

The banks of Huangpu River at The Bund are a popular tourist spot.

To watch the sun go down over Pudong.

But in the backstreets you can find a forgotten mode of public transport – electric trolleybuses.

And down below is a one-of-a-kind mode of transport – the cable hauled trains of the Bund Sightseeing Tunnel.

Photo by VictorSilverpioneer, via Wikimedia Commons

Meanwhile a long way off the beaten tourist track is another unusual beast – the rubber tyred Zhangjiang Tram, the vehicles guided by a central rail and powered by overhead wires.