Beijing Subway Line 1 was designed as war shelter: expert

Passengers in a station of the Beijing Subway Line 1. It has been one of the busiest lines of Beijing subways. (Photo: CNS)

(ECNS) – First opened in 1970, Beijing Subway Line 1 is the oldest in China. Constructed in a special historical period, Line 1 had been designed to be resistant to carpet bombing by some 100 bombs, China Economic Weekly reported on Tuesday, citing Wang Mengshu, a tunnel and railway expert at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

Built in the late 1960s, Line 1 was listed as a project for potential wars, which made it "specially" designed and constructed.

"During that time, the central government required that the subway should resist atomic radiation, chemical weapons, and germs," Wang said.

And as for its toughness, blast-proof construction was used over the subway's tunnel to enable it to resist a carpet bombing by 100 bombs at one time, so that if the city was besieged by war, the subway can be used as an underground shelter to protect residents, according to Wang.

Line 1's function as a shelter is still working, Wang added.

In 1981, Line 1 was officially opened to the public. It has become one of the busiest lines in Beijing over the last 33 years.