The S1 was the first metro line in China to use Maglev (magnetic levitation) technology and was China's 3rd commercial maglev train in operation. The line uses medium-low speed technology, which can give a top speed of 105 km/h.
The construction of the S1 Line was part of Beijing's attempts to tackle environmental problems caused by heavy car use, coal burning and fast urbanization by upgrading its urban rail systems.
Maglev uses two sets of magnets, one to levitate the train up off the track and another to move it forward, taking advantage of no friction. With Maglev technology, there are no moving parts. The train travels along a guideway of magnets which control the train’s stability and speed. Maglev trains are therefore quieter and smoother than conventional trains.
The S1 Line designation was a holdover from a defunct plan to build several suburban railway lines in Beijing. It was envisioned that S1 would reuse the Jingmen Railway connecting Cishousi station to Mentougou District, but the section between Pingguoyuan and Cishousi stations was replaced with Phase 3 of Line 6, and the other section was replaced with today's routing.
In July 2021, a major bridge was completed, and an extension to Pingguoyuan opened on December 31, 2021.
Although there is no artwork to be found on the stations opened so far, each station is differentiated by various coloured columns and roof struts, making for bright platform areas.
