China - (retired?) east-west subway line in BJ?

Hi, all. I just got off Line 2 at Dongsishitiao, and thanks to my friend's observant eyes, noticed that there is an additional platform below and perpendicular to the Line 2 platform. There are no tracks, but it's definitely a train platform. And, I'm pretty sure it's not part of some secret subway expansion project because it looks really old. Since google has yet to reveal the mystery, I'm starting this thread here.

Hi, all. I just got off Line 2


Line 2 is the oldest line, & back in the 20's there was electric trolley cars in BJ.

Line 2 is the oldest line, & back in the 20's there was electric trolley cars in BJ.

I've read all that stuff on wiki in the past, but, what I saw today was identical to a subway platform... complete with several blocked off staircases descending to it. I suppose it's possible that there were underground trolleys --similar to the Green Line in Boston -- at one point in time.

When I lived in Beijing in 1987, only the western part of Line 2 up to Beijingzhan was operating, and about 2/3 of the circle was not quite completed including that Dongsishitiao part. So whatever was built, was done about 25-30 years ago, which in China probably looks like 125 years ago. ;) I can think of two possibilities:

1) The platform was part of the original plan to have another line intersect perpendicular at that point...plans which were later abandoned.
2) It was never meant to be an intersecting subway line, but was installed as part of the Underground City system which was basically, a big bomb shelter...and this platform is an access point.

A remote possibility is that rumors of the old tunnel that supposedly went from the haunted house on Chaoyangmennei (still existing) to Tuanjiehu are true, and that this old platform was an access/egress point from that tunnel. If that tunnel really exists (existed?), it would predate the subway and platform construction by decades. I do not believe Beijing ever had underground trolley lines.

Beijing has many funky little mysteries and unexplained quirks.

1) The platform was part of the original plan to have another line intersect perpendicular at that point...plans which were later abandoned.
2) It was never meant to be an intersecting subway line, but was installed as part of the Underground City system which was basically, a big bomb shelter...and this platform is an access point.


#1 seems plausible; that sure would be a useful subway line (better than line 6 to the south, which is now under construction).

No to #2 (it really is a subway platform; lest you don't believe me, check it out for yourself).

I'm eagerly awaiting anacapamalibu to arrive here and put his research skills to the test on this one.

Also possibly an old side track tunnel used to park excess trains during non-peak hours, then bring them online quickly during busier periods. Most subway systems have certain places for this (also for emergency/repair) designed into the system. May have been planned for this but never really used and then just became superfluous space.

Was the tunnel being "guarded"? Is there a possibility of taking a flashlight and exploring? Shall we gather our dark clothes and blackface and make a midnight excursion? My interest is piqued and I'm up for an adventure!

I'll bet somebody at Beijing Urban Explorers has already been down that tunnel and knows what's there.

Is there a possibility of taking a flashlight and exploring?[/B] Shall we gather our dark clothes and blackface and make a midnight excursion? My interest is piqued and I'm up for an adventure!

Great minds think alike! This thought crossed my mind instantly to the extent that I surveyed the security camera situation (yeah, they'll see you, but I just can't imagine those y1500/month camera watchers being bothered to get out of their chairs), and contemplated the odds of getting caught (almost nil, assuming there is another way out... if not, then 50%), along with the consequences of getting caught (probably nothing serious; iirc there weren't any signs prohibiting access). But, surely the answer is out there on the intertubes somewhere, so we won't need to engage in that sort of arduous field research (there must be some enormous rats down there).

The answer is here:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%9C%E5%9B%9B%E5%8D%81%E6%9D%A1%E7%AB%99

The answer is here:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%B8%9C%E5%9B%9B%E5%8D%81%E6%9D%A1%E7%AB%99

Many thanks for cracking the case; I had a hunch that we'd need to resort to Chinese language searches in order to pull it off, but was feeling too lazy to do so myself.

It appears that Line 3 was simply mothballed. This map (http://www.chinatouristmaps.com/assets/images/travelmap/beijing-subway-plan-2015.jpg) shows lines 1-15, but 3 is conspicuously absent (and notice how line 6 takes over its presumed role a few km to the west; perhaps they were originally met to parallel each other). Beijing's urban planning efforts continue to fascinate me; some cool threads will emerge (I'll start them myself) when/if construction on the new airport breaks ground.

I'm eagerly awaiting anacapamalibu to arrive here and put his research skills to the test on this one.

Can find answer to this question with little more than a cell phone. Need to go to Beijing to research best bars.:D

For the second phase of line 2, Fuxingmen to Jianguomen, they build several interchange stations for future lines, like the ones in use at Jianguomen, Xizhimen, Lama Temple. If you go to the western side of Jishuitan, there are doors that lead to a platform that was reserved for line 4. The stations on the newer part of line 1 from Xidan eastward were not build as interchange stations, resulting in bad connections at Xidan and Dongdan. For Guomao, they went for the cheapest option when line 10 was constructed. Line 13 was another example of building the cheapest design. But the lines build after line 13, are generally designed with transfer in mind.