Line 2 (Beijing Subway)

Line 2 of the Beijing Subway is a rapid transit rail line in central Beijing that runs in a rectangular loop around the city centre. The line traces the Ming dynasty inner city wall, which was demolished and paved over by the 2nd Ring Road and Qianmen Avenue to make room. Line 2, opened in 1984, is the second oldest and one of the busiest of Beijing's subway lines, and to date only one to serve Beijing railway station. All 18 stations on the 23.1 km line are underground. 12 of the 18 stations offer transfers to other lines, with the number growing to 13 with the opening of Line 3 in late 2024. Line 2's color is dark blue.

Hours of Operation
Because Line 2 is a loop line with no true terminus, trains are identified as either running on the inner loop, going in the clockwise direction, or on the outer loop , going in the counter-clockwise direction. However, trains returning to the Taipinghu Depot either terminate at Xizhimen or Jishuitan; passengers are asked to wait for a full loop line train at these stations.

The first inner loop train departs at 5:03am. The first outer loop train departs at 5:09am. The last inner loop train leaves Jishuitan at 10:55pm. The last outer loop train leaves Xizhimen at 11:14pm. For the official timetable, please see the Beijing Subway website.

Route
Line 2 encircles the old city center districts of Dongcheng and Xicheng and skirts the western edge of Chaoyang. The entire line runs underground.

List of Stations
Eleven of Line 2's eighteen stations are named after gates in the old city wall. These stations end in men, meaning gate. The twelfth gate, Deshengmen (德胜门), is near station. The following table lists Line 2 stations in the outer loop or counter-clockwise order, starting from the station with the lowest numbered code.

History
On September 20, 1984, the first section Line 2 opened between and. The line was a 16.1 km long upside down "horseshoe" along the west, north and east 2nd Ring Road, with 12 stations. On December 28, 1987, the line was extended from the terminals of Fuxingmen and Jianguomen, connecting the line with the original section of Line 1 between and Beijing railway station. The completed line was called the "Beijing Subway Loop" and is 23 km long with 18 stations. Since January 2002, the line was renamed as "Line 2".

Other Facts
The rolling stock maintenance facility is located at Taipinghu, near Jishuitan station.

Rolling Stock
The line uses what retroactively were termed as type B rolling stock, although at the time they were simply the standard metro trains in China, early generation trains having dimensions closer to type C rolling stock.