Beijing subway built to survive carpet bombing

Beijing Subway Line 1 is the safest subway in China, able to survive 100 air bombings, said Wang Mengshu, a tunnel and underground construction expert, during an interview with China Economic Weekly.

The construction of the line started in 1965 and finished four years later. Against the background of the Cold War, it was built according to the highest standards of civilian use, able to resist atomic radiation, chemical attacks and germ warfare, Wang said.

Originally designed as an emergency project during times of war, the line could transport five army divisions from suburban Beijing to downtown area every day, and could provide shelter for the public, according to Wang.

Line 1 opened to the public in 1981, and is the busiest line in Beijing. Today, it has 23 stations in operation, running from Pingguoyuan in the west to Sihui in the east, passing through or near Xidan, Wangfujing, Dongdan, the Beijing CBD, China World Trade Center and commercial centers.

The subway network in Beijing totaled 465 kilometers last year. It carried a daily maximum of 11.06 million passengers. By the end of 2014, track length of the subway will reach 527 kilometers as Line 7 and parts of Line 6, Line 14 and Line 15 come into operation.