Updated on September 25, 2019
A new subway service connecting Beijing’s in-development Daxing International Airport with the Chinese capital’s urban area will start operations on September 26 following the official opening of the new airport.
The subway line, currently measuring around 42 kilometres in length, has three stations: Caoqiao, Daxing Xincheng (which means “Daxing New Town”) and Daxing Airport. A northern extension to Lize Financial Business District is under planning. Passengers will be able to change trains at Caoqiao Station, an interchange station for Line 10, the largest of two circular lines in Beijing’s subway system. In the future, they will also be able to change trains on Line 19, which is now under construction and expected to open in 2021.
As stated on the Daxing Airport Express’ official Weibo account, travelling from Caoqiao Station to Daxing Airport Station will only take around 19 minutes, with the train’s highest speed going up to 160km/h. The minimum departure interval between trains will be 8.5 minutes, and the daily service hours will be no less than 16.5 hours.
The trains deployed on the new subway line, named Baijing Hao (which means “White Whale”), are outfitted with six standard cabins, a business cabin and a baggage cabin. The seats in the standard cabin are laid out in a 2-2 configuration, while those in the business cabin in a 2-1 configuration. Both overhead luggage racks and larger ones near train doors are available.
Business cabin passengers will have access to exclusive ticket vending machines, security check channels, automatic ticket gates, elevators and a waiting hall. There will also be staff providing on-train services.
The fare for travel between Caoqiao Station and Daxing Airport in standard class is RMB 35 (US$5), while for business class it’s RMB 50 (US$7). Passengers who have purchased air tickets on their airline’s official website can buy a single-journey train ticket for a 20 per cent discount, according to local news website The Beijing News, though the report did not state which airlines will offer discount on the train tickets.
| Lize Financial Business District (under planning) | Caoqiao | Daxing Xincheng | Daxing Airport | |
| Lize Financial Business District (under planning) | – | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | RMB 35 (US$5) |
| Caoqiao | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | – | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | RMB 35 (US$5) |
| Daxing Xincheng | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | RMB 10 (US$1.4) | – | RMB 25 (US$3.6) |
| Daxing Airport | RMB 35 (US$5) | RMB 35 (US$5) | RMB 25 (US$3.6) | – |
Besides the new Daxing Airport Express, there is also another rail service connecting the new airport to the urban area of the capital, namely the Beijing-Xiong’an Intercity Railway. The section between the airport and Beijing city, which consists of three stations including Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing Daxing Railway Station and Daxing Airport Railway Station, is also expected to start operations on September, 30. The fastest journey from Beijing West Railway Station to the new airport will take only about 28 minutes.
So far, several foreign airlines have announced they will shift part of or all their Beijing services from Beijing Capital International Airport to the new Daxing Airport. These airlines include British Airways, LOT Polish and Finnair.
Image source: Daxing Airport Express’ official Weibo account
