# Line 6 (Beijing Subway)

Line 6 of the Beijing Subway (Chinese: 北京地铁6号线; pinyin: běijīng dìtiě liùhào xiàn) is a rapid transit line in Beijing. The line runs from Jin'anqiao in Shijingshan District to Lucheng in Tongzhou District. It serves important residential areas such as Changying, Chaoqing, and Dingfuzhuang, in addition to important commercial and business areas such as Financial Street, Beijing CBD and the sub-administrative center in Tongzhou District. Like Line 7, Line 6 provides relief to the parallel Line 1, which is the second most used subway line in Beijing, after Line 10. Line 6 is the second longest subway line in Beijing (only Line 10 is longer). A complete journey from end to end takes about an hour and 25 minutes on a local train and express trains reducing end to end travel time by 7 minutes.
Line 6 uses 8-car Type B train sets accommodating 1,960 people. Such trains are only found on lines 6 and 7. The trains are capable of reaching the speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). Stations to the east of the 3rd Ring Road to Tongzhou are more widely spaced, the furthest being 4 km (2.5 mi) apart. Line 6 also has the deepest station in the network, Dongsi station, which is 34 metres (112 ft) underground. The line is the first line to 1500 V overhead catenary as opposed to 750 V third rail used on all earlier lines. Some of the station arrangements were the first of their kind in Beijing. Beijing's first split platform station, Nanluoguxiang station, and stations equipped with passing tracks, opened on Line 6. Line 6's color is earth yellow.

## Ridership

Line 6 was projected to have a short term volume of 700,000 passengers per day and a long term daily passenger traffic of 1.4 million passengers. Though due to its alignment through some of Beijing's densest residential neighborhoods and paralleling the overcapacity and busy Line 1, some industry leaders believed that the average daily passenger flow of the line may reach 1.4 million passengers per day sooner than expected. Within the first few months of operation, weekday ridership was at 320,000 passengers. However, by 2014, daily ridership had risen to 700,000 with sections operating at 100% capacity during rush hour. Authorities responded by adding more trains and shortening headway to reduce crowding on the line. By 2019, daily average weekday ridership on Line 6 exceeds 1 million riders.

## Stations

Stations from west to east:
| Service Route | Service Route | Station name | Station name | Connections | Nearby bus stops | Distance km | Distance km | Location |
| L | Ex | English | Chinese | Connections | Nearby bus stops | Distance km | Distance km | Location |
| ● | ● | Jin'anqiao | 金安桥 | S1  11 | 325 336 337 358 370 396 472 489 502 876 892 920 921 929 931 932 941 941快 948 959 961 977 977快 981 BRT4(快速公交4) 快速直达专线135 快速直达专线142 快速直达专线150 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M11 M16 M20 M22 专61 专110 专148 | 0.000 | 0.000 | Shijingshan |
| ● | ● | Pingguoyuan | 苹果园 | 1  S1 | 325 336 358 370 396 399 472 527 597 664 876 892 920 929 931 932 941快 948 961 972 977 977快 981 快速直达专线142 快速直达专线150 M3 M4 M5 M6 M7 M11 M16 M20 M22 | 1.438 | 1.438 | Shijingshan |
| ● | ● | Yangzhuang | 杨庄 | | 325 336 358 370 396 399 472 527 597 663 664 876 921 932 941快 958 961 972 977 977快 981 BRT4(快速公交4) 快速直达专线111 专108 专152 专210 | 0.839 | 2.277 | Shijingshan |
| ● | ● | Xihuangcun | 西黄村 | | 336 370 389 875 941快 977 981 | 1.792 | 4.069 | Shijingshan |
| ● | ● | Liaogongzhuang | 廖公庄 | | 336 370 373 389 688 875 914 941快 977 981 | 1.794 | 5.863 | |
| ● | ● | Tiancun | 田村 | | 336 389 568 610 688 941快 977 981 BRT4(快速公交4) 专109 专129 专147 | 2.276 | 8.139 | |
| ● | ● | Haidian Wuluju | 海淀五路居 | | 61 73 92 121 334 335 336 400 400快 414 450 469 505 507 611 644 653 658 688 698 952 981 982 983 夜3 夜13 专98 | 2.140 | 10.279 | Haidian |
| ● | ● | Cishou Si | 慈寿寺 | 10 | 33 40 61 73 85 481 507 632 夜3 专98 | 1.508 | 11.787 | Haidian |
| ● | ● | Huayuan Qiao | 花园桥 | | 4 27 61 73 74 77 86 118 300 323 368 374 394 437 603 634 645 653 693 967 夜3 夜30 | 1.431 | 13.218 | Haidian |
| ● | ● | Baishiqiaonan | 白石桥南 | 9 | 4 27 61 86 92 114 118 320 653 693 夜3 | 1.166 | 14.384 | Haidian |
| ● | ● | Erligou | 二里沟 | 16 | 4 102 103 114 118 320 693 夜3 夜12 | 0.777 | 15.161 | Haidian / Xicheng |
| ● | ● | Chegongzhuangxi | 车公庄西 | | 4 15 19 26 56 65 94 107 118 129 693 夜3 夜14 | 0.888 | 16.048 | Xicheng |
| ● | ● | Chegongzhuang | 车公庄 | 2 | 4 19 21 44 69 80 107 118 200 332 387 618 632 686 693 快速直达专线201 夜3 夜8 夜20 夜21 专216 | 0.887 | 16.935 | Xicheng |
| ● | ● | Ping'anli | 平安里 | 4  19 | 3 4 7 13 22 38 42 47 88 105 107 111 118 143 409 夜3 夜4 夜10 夜21 夜36 | 1.443 | 18.378 | Xicheng |
| ● | ● | Beihaibei | 北海北 | | 3 4 13 42 107 111 118 612 观光3 夜3 夜10 夜21 | 1.321 | 19.699 | Xicheng |
| ● | ● | Nanluogu Xiang | 南锣鼓巷 | 8 | 3 4 13 42 60 82 115 118 612 夜2 夜3 夜10 夜21 | 1.349 | 21.048 | Dongcheng |
| ● | ● | Dongsi | 东四 | 5 | 58 84 101 106 109 110 116 128 夜10 夜13 | 1.937 | 22.985 | Dongcheng |
| ● | ● | Chaoyang Men | 朝阳门 | 2 | 44 58 75 101 109 110 139 142 200 BRT2(快速公交2) 通医专线3 夜13 夜20 | 1.399 | 24.384 | Dongcheng / Chaoyang |
| ● | ● | Dongdaqiao | 东大桥 | | 28 43 75 98 101 109 110 118 120 126 139 350 403 412 515 615 BRT2(快速公交2) 快速直达专线78 夜6 夜13 夜24 专5 专114 | 1.668 | 26.052 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ● | Hujialou | 呼家楼 | 10 | 75 113 115 126 140 350 368 405 412 650 671 687 BRT2(快速公交2) 快速直达专线78 夜6 夜30 夜34 专5 专114 | 0.845 | 26.897 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ● | Jintai Lu | 金台路 | 14 | 9 31 75 117 126 135 140 412 419 486 640 682 973 985 988 夜6 夜25 | 1.450 | 28.347 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ● | Shilipu | 十里堡 | | 75 126 138 140 486 640 675 682 991 夜3 夜6 | 2.036 | 30.383 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ● | Qingnian Lu | 青年路 | | 75 126 419 451 468 499 553 605 675 682 911 991 夜3 夜6 夜13 专50 专141 专194 | 1.282 | 31.665 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ｜ | Dalianpo | 褡裢坡 | | 499 517 675 911 | 3.999 | 35.664 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ｜ | Huangqu | 黄渠 | | 499 517 583 675 911 快速直达专线70 | 1.238 | 36.902 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ｜ | Changying | 常营 | | 411 488 586 587 639 675 911 专39 | 1.854 | 38.756 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ｜ | Caofang | 草房 | | 306 435 488 499 517 587 639 675 824 911 快速直达专线105 专39 专175 | 1.405 | 40.161 | Chaoyang |
| ● | ｜ | Wuzi Xueyuan Lu | 物资学院路 | | 435 587 675 813 824 911 快速直达专线185 T6 T8 T111 专158 | 2.115 | 42.276 | Tongzhou |
| ● | ｜ | Tongzhou Beiguan | 通州北关 | | 316 342 435 582 587 911 924 快速直达专线43 T37 T70 T79 T114 通医专线15 专64 专77 专88 专157 | 2.557 | 44.833 | Tongzhou |
| ｜ | ｜ | Tongyun Men | 通运门 | | | — | — | Tongzhou |
| ● | ｜ | Beiyunhexi | 北运河西 | | 317 552 809 913 T18 T44 T45 T49 T60 T61 T71 T107 T112 专208 | 3.011 | 47.844 | Tongzhou |
| ● | ｜ | Beiyunhedong | 北运河东 | | 312 442 587 666 T109 T115 夜29 专203 | 1.599 | 49.443 | Tongzhou |
| ● | ● | Haojia Fu | 郝家府 | | 312 442 587 649 666 803 T58 T88 T109 T115 夜29 专203 专206 | 0.929 | 50.372 | Tongzhou |
| ● | ● | Dongxia Yuan | 东夏园 | | 312 442 649 803 804 816 819 822 893 894 T41 T45 T48 T58 T88 T109 T115 T120 通医专线12 夜29 专82 专118 专203 专206 | 1.346 | 51.718 | Tongzhou |
| ● | ● | Lucheng | 潞城 | | 312 442 804 816 893 894 T20 T41 T45 T109 T115 T116 T120 T122 通医专线12 夜29 专82 专118 专203 | 1.194 | 52.912 | Tongzhou |
| | | Luyang | 潞阳 | | | | | Tongzhou |
* Chegongzhuangxi Station
* Dongdaqiao Station
* Ji'anqiao Station
* Baishiqiaonan Station

## History
### Planning

Line 6 was originally planned to be an east–west line passing under Chaoyang Avenue continuing straight westward. However, this alignment would make the central section of Line 6 tunnel extremely close to the Forbidden City. Issues of historic conservation and protection were raised against the proposed alignment. To avoid damaging cultural relics in the area, the entire western and middle section of line 6 was shifted 1.5 km (0.93 mi) northward to Ping'an Avenue, forming the route of Line 6 today. As of October 2007, Line 6 was planned to feature both express and local stations, but those plans have not been incorporated into the construction of Phase I. Line 6 started construction on December 8, 2007, as one of the "horizontal" east–west lines of the "three-ring, four horizontal and five vertical and seven radial" Beijing Subway masterplan. Construction is planned in three phases, the first phase in central Beijing, followed by extensions into the eastern and western suburbs.

### Phase I

In Phase I, Line 6 runs 30 km (19 mi) from Haidian Wuluju in Haidian District to Caofang in Chaoyang District following Linglong Road, Sanlihe Road, Chaoyang North Road, the west bank of the Grand Canal, and Yunhe East Road. In Phase I, there were 21 stations, including Erligou station, which opened on 18 March 2023.
Construction began in December 2007 and was completed in 2012. On March 22, 2010, the tunneling work on Line 6 commenced near Shilipu in Chaoyang District. Total investment for Phase I was estimated at ¥19.7 billion.
Line 6 in Phase I was originally slated to have elevated tracks for 7 km (4.3 mi), east of the 5th Ring Road, from Dingfuzhuang and Changying. After residents along the route raised concerns about train noise, planners reconsidered and ultimately decided to keep all of Phase I underground. This made the first phase of Line 6 completely underground.

### Phase II (eastern extension)

As of November 2010, plans for Phase II contained plans for distinct express and local stations. In Phase II, which opened in 2014, Line 6 was extended further east by about 12.8 km (8.0 mi) through six stations from Caofang to Lucheng in Tongzhou District. Beiyunhedong station opened on 30 December 2018. Like Phase I, the Phase II track is entirely underground.
The extension was designed to have express and local services using passing tracks at select stations. However, due to a shortage of rolling stock, express services have yet to be implemented when the Phase II opens in 2014. In 2018, the government announced that sufficient rolling stock had arrived to begin implementing an express service. Express services started operating on March 31, 2020.

### Phase III (western extension)

Line 6 was originally planned to terminate at Cishousi station with Line S1 continuing the line westward. In 2011, because of issues of low capacity and electromagnetic radiation concerns of Maglev technology, city planning authorities proposed to detach several stations from Line S1. This would extend Line 6 for 10.556 km (6.559 mi) west with six stations from Jin'anqiao to Haidian Wuluju (the western terminus of Phase I). All stations are underground. This replaced the Line S1 section between Cishousi and Pingguoyuan station. Later the plan was revised with Line 6 being further extended westward beyond Pingguoyuan to Jin'anqiao station, paralleling Line S1. The revision was formalized and submitted to the National Development and Reform Commission for review in March 2012. Phase III opened in 2018, along with Beiyunhedong station, a Phase II station.
Plans for an interchange with Line 1 at Pingguoyuan were delayed by a renovation of the station, which began in April 2020 and was due to be completed by the end of 2023, however, as of February 2025, the Line 1 section still remains closed. When Line 6 Phase III entered operation, Pingguoyuan station was not opened. In December 2021, the station was opened as an interchange between Line 6 and Line S1.

### Opening timeline

| Segment | Commencement | Length | Station(s) | Name |
| Haidian Wuluju — Caofang | 30 December 2012 | 29.882 km (18.57 mi) | 20 | Phase 1 |
| Caofang — Lucheng | 28 December 2014 | 12.751 km (7.92 mi) | 6 | Phase 2 |
| Beiyunhedong | 30 December 2018 | infill station | 1 | |
| Jin'anqiao — Haidian Wuluju | 30 December 2018 | 10.556 km (6.56 mi) | 5 | Phase 3 |
| Pingguoyuan | 31 December 2021 | infill station | 1 | |
| Erligou | 18 March 2023 | infill station | 1 | |

## Future development
### South extension of Phase II

The one-station Southern extension of Phase II from Lucheng to Luyang will be 2.066 km in length. Construction started on 30 August 2022. It is expected to open in 2025.

## Rolling stock

| Model | Image | Manufacturer | Year Built | Amount in Service | Fleet Numbers | Depot |
| DKZ47 | | CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles | 2011 2013 2018 | 99 | 06 001–06 099 | Wulu Wuliqiao Dongxiaoying |