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Public Transport Web
Beijing's current public transport web can be divided
into three categories. Subway
The 30-year-old Beijing subway offers convenience – despite room for
improvement. At present the capital has two metro
routes. The Loop Line, consisting of 16 stations, parallels where the
Ming – era city wall once stood and the Second Ring Road runs today.
The other track is Line One, composed of 21 stops stretching from
Pingguoyuan at the foot of the Western Hills, through Tian’anmen
Square to Sihuidong beyond the eastern Fourth Ring Road along the
Beijing – Tongxian Expressway. There are two transfer stations
intersecting the lines: Fuxingmen on the west and Jianguomen to the
east. The subway offers a viable transportation
alternative for getting around central Beijing that is cost-effective
and environmentally – friendly. The subway can be used
to get closer to outlying areas such as going from Chaoyang to Haidian
districts, making subsequent taxi rides faster and less expensive.
Beijing’s underground is cheap, costing 3 yuan (US$ 0.36) for a single
trip ticket. Pricing is based on admission rather than distance
traveled. Blue tickets are issued on Line One, while Loop Line tickets
are orange. Compared to subways in many other cities
worldwide, Beijing’s lines are free of graffiti and garbage. The
subway is well - lit and well – policed. Work on the
country’s first subway began in July 1965. It has been in operation
for more than 30 years, with limited service inaugurated on National
Day October 1, 1969. The 40.85-kilometer long NO.3
subway will be ready by the end of 2002. A branch line to connect the
Capital International Airport with the city will be built in 2005. The
27.7-km-long No.5 subway and its connecting route will be completed by
2007, linking Olympic Green to the city. The 19-km Bawangfen-Tongzhou
light railway is scheduled to be completed by 2003. By
2008, the total length of subway will reach 140 km with passenger
handling capacity hitting 1.74 billion.
Buses There are more than 20,000 buses in Beijing. Half
of them use natural petroleum gas. There are 648 bus routes in Beijing
that transport 10 million people each day. Beijing plans
to open 50 new bus routes every year. In 2003, Beijing is expected to
have 650 bus routes with annual passengers of 4.5 billion.
Besides, there are 222 long-distance bus routes linking downtown area
with suburban districts and surrounding regions.
Taxis At present, there are 67,000 taxis in Beijing. By
the end of 2008, all the taxis will be equipped with a wireless
telecommunication system and Global Positioning System (GPS).
Roads and Railways Beijing has a road network totaling
12,852 km in length, including 216 km of expressway. By 2008,
Beijing's total road length will be more than 700 kilometers after the
construction of the Beijing-Kaifeng, Beijing-Miyun expressways. All
the towns with populations of more than 50,000 will be linked by
expressway networks. Beijing now has railway lines
linking the city with all major cities nationwide and 4 railway
stations for passenger of cargo transport. |
