The BaTong Line derives its name by combining the first character of Bawangfen (八王坟), another name for Sihui, and Tongzhou (通州), the eastern suburban district of Beijing which the line serves.
In 2010 it was proposed to link Line 1 and the Batong Line together; but the official response was that the two lines’ signalling systems are incompatible with one another, so from an engineering viepoint this would be difficult to achieve. But finally on June 12, 2020, the project of the through operation was approved by the Beijing Development and Reform Commission, and completion of this project started on August 29, 2021.
Hua Zhuang station was opened on December 28, 2019 and Universal Resort station opened on August 26, 2021.
Like Line 1, the Batong Line was never designed with artwork in mind, and in the main,it follows the drab look of its western companion. None of the stations has any artwork whatsoever... or rather that was the case until the southern extension of the line to Universal Resort station.
Before the extension to Universal Resort, the Batong Line’s most visually appealing objects were the trains themselves.
Universal Resort