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Introduction to Beijing Subway     

The Beijing metro construction project began on July 1, 1965. 

On October 1, 1969, the Beijing metro was operational and began trials on January 15, 1971. The Beijing metro line was extended three times before official subway operations began on September 15, 1981. 

Passenger traffic at present has reached 1.5 million people altogether. Currently under construction are new lines 4, 5, 9, and 10, as well as the Olympic Feeder line. They will be opened one by one in around the time of the 2008 Olympics, to alleviate the Olympics-associated traffic pressure and improve the facility of travel for current residents of Beijing.

The cost of traveling on the subway is very reasonable - only 3 to 5 yuan. Although it may appear daunting at first to English speakers in fact it is very simple. Inside the stations, the information is given in English as well as Chinese. 

The approaching stations are announced in the train again in both English and Chinese (the difficulty is hearing the announcement with the train noises and passenger chat).

A good tip is to get your hotel to write down, firstly the subway station nearest to your hotel, and secondly the destination station you wish to go to - in chinese characters, which you can then show to any Beijing resident - you'll find the Chinese very, very helpful. It is also helpful to know the "end Station" of the line you wish to travel on as this will ensure you are going in the correct direction as you select your boarding platform.

The subway station entrances are identified by a large blue stylized letter B wrapped around a smaller letter D.Purchase tickets at the window. Note that if you want two tickets, do not show your thumb and index finger, the Chinese way to signify numbers is different from the west, thumb and index finger mean eight not two.

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Beijing Metro/Subway Map

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Beijing to cut subway fares to boost public transport
From：Xinhuanet

BEIJING, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing government has finally decided to cut subway fares by about 30 percent amid efforts to boost public transport, ease road congestion and improve air quality ahead of the Olympics.

A single pricing system which means a one-way ticket costs just two yuan (27 U.S. cents), down from three yuan, will be introduced on Oct. 7, the same day as the opening of a new subway line which will run through the heart of the city from north to south.

Construction on the 27.6-km new line, Beijing's No. 5 Subway Line, began in December 2002, costing 12 billion yuan (about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars).

Beijing now has four subway lines with a total mileage of 114 km and they transport about 1.15 million passengers daily, 15 percent of the total commuters.

According to the municipal government, Beijing will add three subway lines next year and the total mileage will reach 200 km.

Before the final decision of lowering fares was made, a public hearing was held on Wednesday by the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission, in which two subway pricing systems were proposed: lowering the price of a one-way ticket to two yuan; adopting a flexible pricing system ranging from two yuan to four yuan according to the distance one travels.

Most of the 25 people attending the meeting, including transport experts, passengers, representatives of the metro operator and government officials, favored the single pricing system, under which 80 percent of commuters will save 1.3 yuan (17 cents) every trip.

"The single pricing system is easier to adopt and cheaper for passengers. As more subway lines are completed, more people will choose to take the subway, the above-ground traffic jams will be eased and air quality will be better," said Liu Tongliang, head of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau.

Taking into account the inevitable rise of the number of subway passengers, local traffic authorities have promised to increase subway trains and shorten intervals between trains to boost the transport capacity.

Meanwhile, Liu said the government would increase expenditure on public transport by 1 billion yuan (133 million U.S. dollars) annually after the single price scheme is adopted.

Road congestion has been a major problem yet to be solved for the Chinese capital, which now registers more than 3 million vehicles, and citizens have been urged to take public transport to ease traffic pressure.

The municipal government has been giving discounts of up to 60 percent for residents -- and even 80 percent for students --- for bus tickets since the beginning of this year to encourage people to choose public transport.

The city aims to raise the proportion of citizens choosing public transport from about 30 percent to more than 40 percent by 2010, according to Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Communications.

To achieve this goal, Beijing will raise the number of buses from 18,000 to 21,000 by 2010, and extend the metro line from present 114 km to at least 270 km, Liu said.

Timetable for Beijing Metro/Subway                         

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Time of first and last train on Line13

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