New Subway Line Gives Fillip to Beijing Olympics -- Beijing Review

The Beijing no.5 subway line was officially opened to the public at 2 p.m. on October 7, 2007. The construction began on December 28, 2002, and took nearly five years to complete. The 27.6-km line connects the north to the south and contains 23 stops; it also overlaps with lines no.1, no.2 and no.13.

According to statistics from Beijing municipal transportation administration bureau, some 340,000 passengers traveled on line no.5 on its first day of operation, much more than the number of passengers on line no.13 and the extension section of line no.1. Some 57,000 passengers took the line during rush hour on October 8, the first working day after the weeklong National Holiday, and got off at interchange stations to other three lines.

"The actual result has exceeded our expectations," said Liu Xiaoming, Vice Director of the Beijing Municipal Communications Commission.

Chronic traffic congestion during rush hour posed a great inconvenience to residents in Tiantongyuan, one of the largest residential complexes in northern Beijing, with a population of nearly 200,000. According to a local report, there is no longer any congestion -- for the first time in the past seven years -- and many residents leave their cars at home and take the subway instead.

"The operation of subway line no.5 can be seen as a relief to traffic congestion in the northern part of Beijing," Liu Xiaoming added.

Line 5 is Beijing's first subway line equipped with an integrated information system. The new subway cars plying this line offer passengers an array of conveniences and comfort. LCD screens on the platforms and inside the cars provide passengers with up-to-the-minute weather information, train schedules, etc. It is also the first Beijing subway line to employ platform screen doors to reduce the risk of accidents. The underground stations feature full-height platform screen doors, and the elevated ones feature half-height doors.

Most stations on Line 5 are equipped with escalators. The line also features a total of 35 designated elevators, and 28 wheelchair lifts to accommodate passengers with disabilities. Moreover, there are safety warning signs and slip-proof floors inside the carriages, the adoption of seamless technology between carriages helps reduce noise, and there a preset configuration enables passengers to receive mobile phone signals as smoothly as possible.

Beijing Subway has five lines so far. Another three lines are currently under construction, and will be put into operation ahead of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Construction began on Line 10, one of the key projects, on December 27, 2003. The 24.55-km line, scheduled to be complete before the Olympics, will connect northern and eastern Beijing and contains 22 stops. It will help reduce traffic problems in the CBD area, east downtown Beijing.

The 28.5-km long airport branch line is an express line specifically designed for commuters from downtown to Beijing Capital International Airport. It will have interchange stations with line no.2, line no.13 and no.10. Speeds of 100 km/h can be reached on this line, which means that it will only take 15 minutes to the airport from Dongzhimen Station.

The 5.91-km Olympic branch line is located beneath Beijing's central axis, within the Olympic central area -- making it convenient for spectators wishing to reach the designated venues. The line comprises four stations, each symbolizing one season with different colors borrowed from the five Olympic circles. For example, green stands for spring, red and black stands for summer, yellow stands for autumn and blue stands for winter.

In addition, Beijing Subway will improve on its multilingual direction indicators at each station so as to better serve foreigners. College students majoring in foreign languages will be recruited as guides; direction signs will be replaced by international standard signs as well.

Approved by the Beijing Municipal Government, the price of all Beijing track traffic net (airport track traffic excluded) has been fixed at two yuan ($ 0.26), after the operation of line no.5; the subway monthly card has been cancelled simultaneously.

According to Liu Tongliang, Head of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau, most commuters would now pay a reduced transportation fee. Some 83.1 percent will benefit from the new price system; their average savings will be 1.3 yuan ($0.17); only 16.9 percent commuters will see an increase in transportation fee.

In fact, before the operation of line no.5, the track traffic lines in Beijing accounting for only 15 percent of total transportation power. With line no.5 in operation, a new price system being implemented and new subway lines being constructed, more residents will opt for the pollution-free subway system. The system will also help reduce traffic problems, improve air quality, and create an environment to better realize a "Green Olympics" and the "People's Olympics".