Beijing opens world’s longest CBTC-based metro line

57 kilometers in length, Line 10 of the Beijing Subway welcomed its first passengers at the end of December. Siemens fitted both the line and the on-board equipment for 84 trains with the Trainguard MT train protection system. The Line 10 is now the world’s longest metro line equipped with CBTC (Communication Based Train Control). “We’d already shown what our automation technology could do during the expansion of the metro lines in Guangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing. We’re proud to be a reliable infrastructural partner, making a major contribution to improving Beijing’s traffic situation,” said Jürgen Brandes, Head of Siemens’ Rail Automation Business Unit.

With around 336 kilometers of track, Beijing’s subway network is China’s second longest. The extended Line 10 forms part of the outer subway loop, linking the north-west to the south-east of the city. The first section of Line 10 opened for business at the start of the Olympic Games in 2008. The newly opened second section, which comprises around 30 kilometers of track and 21 stations, now also connects the south-western districts of Beijing to the subway network. The ring closure of the line is planned for spring 2013. The extended link is designed to accommodate some two million passengers daily, significantly easing the load on the city’s transport network.

Line 10 has been fitted with the automatic train protection system Trainguard MT by Siemens. This permits optimum train sequencing commensurate with passenger levels and maximum safety, reliability and availability for metro operations. Data is transferred continuously between the metro line and the train via Airlink. The CBTC-system controls the trains on Line 10 according to the moving block principle within absolute braking distances. Thanks to integrated, automatic running and braking control (Automatic Train Operation – ATO), the train runs smoothly and energy efficient, stops precisely in front of the platform doors, issues an order for synchronous opening of the platform screen doors and enables a punctual passenger operation. Trainguard MT requires less trackside equipment, such as signals and block signaling systems, than conventional train protection systems. This results in lower installation and maintenance costs, and in turn reduces the demand for spare parts.

The CBTC-solution Trainguard MT is the most extensively deployed automatic train control system and is used by more than 20 metro operators around the world. The Chinese cities of Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing each have two metro lines which are equipped with Trainguard MT, while this system has also been installed on the line linking Guangzhou and Foshan. This year, Siemens won the contract to equip lines in Suzhou, Chongqing and Dongguan. China is the world’s most ambitious country in terms of rail investment, and is planning to build 85 new mass transit lines by 2015 with a total length of more than 2,700 kilometers in over 30 cities.