Beijing Olympic Village Rail Link Construction, China

China's capital city Beijing has been chosen to host the 2008 Olympic Games, which has led to a huge investment in transport systems throughout the city. The showpiece project ahead of the world sporting festival is a 28km rail link between Beijing Capital International Airport and Dongzhimen.

Hosting of the Olympics requires Beijing to be well prepared in terms of transport assets. This extends beyond the new airport link – by the time the games start, three new subway lines will have been built. These will create 148.5km (92.8 miles) of new rail transport, capable of handling around 10% of the passengers in the city. By then, the total subway/rapid transit network will be 202km (126 miles) long, providing the capacity needed.

THE PROJECT

The Beijing Capital International Airport-Dongzhimen express rail link is the most advanced rail system in the capital. Its builder is the Beijing Dongzhimen Airport Express Rail Company, and the first contracts for construction and equipment were let to China's Changchun Railway Vehicles (CRV) in partnership with Bombardier Transportation.

Beijing's subway lines are being expanded from the current two-line network to five, including a special Olympic branch. Lines 1 and 2 are already in full service, and no extensions are planned at present, while Line 4 is a brand new 28.6km line with 24 stations, set for completion in 2007. Line 5 is a 27.6km north-south subway line, 16.9km underground, with 22 stations in total. The five-year construction programme started in 2002.

The third, and most important of the subway lines, is the Olympic branch, 30.5km long with 26 stations, and construction started in 2004. It links Huoquiying in west Beijing with the north of the city and the Olympic venues and features interchanges with lines 1, 4, 5 and the elevated City Rail Line 13.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The new express line to Beijing Airport features driverless operation using Bombardier's proven Advanced Rapid Transit technology, which is already in use on the Vancouver Sky Train (the longest driverless system in the world) and New York's 13km air train.

The 28km line has four stations, at Dongzhimen, Sanyuanqiao, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of the airport. Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao will be interchanges for the subway or other modes of transport to reach the heart of the Olympic Village. At Dongzhimen station, passengers can start their first steps of pre-flight check-in procedures before arrival at the airport.

The express line is expected to carry up to 4,500 passengers per hour at peak times, with trains running for 15 hours every day. The whole project is costing ¥5.4bn with a consortium of five Chinese companies involved, including CRV.

ROLLING STOCK

Bombardier has been contracted to provide the express line with 40 new trains. The bodies for these ART Mk II vehicles are built by CRV, with Bombardier providing the electrical systems, bogies and propulsion and brake systems, as well as managing the project.

A tight delivery schedule was imposed on Bombardier; less than two years after the US$44m contract was awarded in March 2006.

The new vehicles are exclusively for the airport link, allowing Bombardier to showcase its technology at a major international event. They are capable of reaching 100km/h (62.5mph), making the entire journey just 16 minutes long.

On the subway, a variety of different trains are in service, all of Chinese origin and running on the 750V DC system, collecting current from a third rail.

SIGNALLING AND COMMUNICATIONS

Bombardier has provided the signalling systems to interconnect with the driverless trains. Communications systems are provided both for railway staff and the passengers using the trains.

THE FUTURE

Between 2006 and 2010, Beijing is planning to invest 60% of its budget on transport projects. This will see the metro system expand even further to eventually become a 270km (168 miles) system, with more new lines in the early stages of planning.

The 2008 Olympic Games represent a major milestone for the Chinese capital, and a reason to invest heavily in mass transit. The majority of the projects under construction now are to be finished in time for the games, apart from completion of the metro system – a total of 408km (254 miles) of lines are planned, but much of this is still at the design stage.