Beijing, as the capital and a municipality of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a transport hub, with a sophisticated network of roads, railways and a major airport. Five completed ring roads encircle a city with nine expressways heading in virtually all compass directions, supplemented by eleven China National Highways.
Transport in the capital is overseen by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
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The city is served by five completed ring roads. From the centre of the city outward, they are:
Nine toll expressways link Beijing to its suburbs, outlying regions, and other cities; these are:
Eleven China National Highway routes depart from Beijing in virtually all compass directions:
Beijing as of 2011 has an estimated 5 million registered cars on its roads, so traffic congestion is widespread. Traffic in the city centre is often gridlocked and is only predicted to get worse as the number of vehicles on Beijing's roads increase. It is predicted by 2012 Beijing will have over 6 million cars on its roads.[2] To combat congestion the local government has rapidly been building the subway system adding more lines and working towards doubling the length of the subway system by 2015. In addition to this they have decreased the cost of fares in an attempt to encourage more people to use public transport. In 2008 Beijing introduced restrictions on the amount of cars on its roads in attempt to reduce congestion and pollution during the Olympic games period. They did this by adopting odd-even traffic restriction on alternative days. Cars with number plates ending with odd numbers were restricted one day and the next day cars with number plates ending with even numbers were restricted. Drivers who were unable to use their cars did not have to pay road or vehicle taxes, costing the city around 1.3 billion yuan.[3]
The Beijing Subway now has 14 lines, 336 km of tracks and 172 stations in operation. Subway travel is generally fast, clean, economical and during peak periods congested. On average currently around five million people ride the subway daily. By 2015 the city predicts daily ridership will increase to over 8 million journeys a day.[4] A flat fare of ¥2 with unlimited transfers applies to all lines, except the express link to the airport, which costs ¥25. The electronic commuter fare card, Yikatong is accepted on all lines. The subway network is undergoing rapid expansion and that by 2015 the city will have 19 subway lines and 561 km in track length. This would make Beijing's subway system one of the largest in the world.[5]
The Beijing Suburban Railway is a commuter railway service that connects outlying counties with the subway network. Six "S-numbered" lines have been planned. There is only one S-Line currently in operation. The S2 Line runs from the North Station at Xizhimen to the downtown area of Yanqing County via Badaling Great Wall in Yanqing County.
The Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd. ("BPT") is the main bus and trolleybus operator in the city. It is owned by the city and, as of 2009, operated nearly 28,000 buses (including trolleybuses) on 882 bus lines and delivered 5.03 billion rides in 2009.[6]
BPT's buses use the following route number scheme and fare schedule. On January 1, 2007, bus fares were significantly reduced.
| Line No. | Line Description | Cash fare (in RMB (¥)) |
Smartcard fare (Yikatong) (in RMB (¥)) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-132 | Bus routes in the city's urban core inside the Third Ring Road. Of these, Lines 101 to 114 feature trolleybuses. Lines 103 and 104 also have regular buses. | ¥1.00 flat rate | ¥0.40 flat rate |
| 200-215 | Night buses serving the urban core. | ¥1.00 flat rate | ¥0.40 flat rate |
| 300-499 | Bus routes that extend beyond the Third Ring Road to inner suburbs. | ¥1.00 for the first 12 km, ¥0.50 for each additional 5 km. | ¥0.40 |
| 500-799 | Longer bus routes that run through both the urban core and suburbs. | ¥1.00 for the first 12 km, ¥0.50 for each additional 5 km. | ¥0.40 for the first 12 km, ¥0.2 for each additional 5 km. |
| 900-999 | Bus routes to distant suburbs | ¥2.00 for the first 10 km, ¥0.50 for each additional 5 km. | ¥0.80 for the first 10 km, ¥0.40 for each additional 5 km. |
Character designations for bus lines:
The Beijing Yuntong Bus Company operates its own bus routes, which carry the prefix 运通 before the route number. Yuntong bus routes are distinct from the more numerous BPT buse routes and the two should not be confused. For example, Beijing Bus No. 110 and运通110 are two distinct bus lines. Yuntong Bus fares vary from ¥1 to ¥5.
The BPT also offers 3-day, 7-day, 14-day and month-long bus passes. Passes are not accepted on Yuntong Buses.
The BPT provides enquiry services via both its official website http://www.bjbus.com and a helpline: +86-10-96166.
The Beijing Transportation Authorities are experimenting with a new type of public transport vehicle called the 3D Express Coach, also known as the straddling bus. The first straddling bus is expected to begin trial operation in Mentougou District in late 2010.[7]
Taxi fares depend on the vehicle type: these start at CNY 10 for the first 3 kilometers, and go up by CNY2.00 per extra kilometer; the per-kilometer charge is based upon the make and model of the vehicle. After 10pm the base fare goes up to CNY 11. There are also Hongqi (红旗) taxis which operate at a 2.00 rate, however these are a rarity and not commonly seen. Idling time is also factored into the total fare. All legal cabs will be part golden yellow in color, and display their permits and paperwork on the dash board and windshield.
There are also many illegal cabs known as 黑车 (heiche, meaning 'Black Cabs' as in "black market" or "illegal"), which operate via a pre-negotiated fare.
Taxi-like services, including Pedicabs, are also widely used. A motorized or manual bicycle is probably the most commonly seen form, although pedicabs are still available in certain parts of the city. These quaint modes of transport also employ the pre-negotiated fare system
In 1999, the environmentally unsound "bread cars" (Minivans) (mianbao che, a.k.a miandi) were decommissioned in a stringent manner. They used to charge CNY 1 per kilometre. Although it was sound, budget-wise, their poor environmental record and an increasing consciousness of the image of the capital were the factors that landed them in the dumpster. As of 2004, 1.20 RMB/km taxicabs are being phased out, and as of 2006 all taxi fares are 2.00 RMB per km with the same 10 RMB starting fare for 3 km rule. Hyundai Elantra is becoming the common new type of taxi, along with Volkswagen Jetta CiF.
Beijing's main airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport near Shunyi, which is about 20 kilometres northeast of Beijing central business district. Flights from all major international cities land there as well as a large number of domestic flights. The airport has seen a number of expansions. The second terminal opened in 1999, and in 2008 saw the opening of terminal three. The opening of terminal three has seen the airport's capacity increase to be able to handle around 82 million passengers per year.[8]
A second large airport is being planned in Daxing south of Beijing and due to open in 2015, with a long-term capacity of 100 million passengers per year.
Other airports in the city include Liangxiang Airport, Nanyuan Airport, Xijiao Airport and Badaling Airport. However, these are less well-known.
Beijing has three main railway stations: Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing South Railway Station. The latter two are among the biggest railway stations in the world. Other railway stations in urban Beijing include: Beijing East, Beijing North, Beijing South, Fengtai, Guanganmen, and Xinghuo. The Hepingli Railway Station is no longer in service.
Beijing is a major railway hub in China's railway network. The following eight major railways radiate out of Beijing:
And for Highspeed railways, there are:
There are a number of international trains departing from Beijing to neighbouring countries. The Trans-Siberian train to Ulaan Baatar (Mongolia) and then onto Moscow (Russia) departs from Beijing. There are also trains to Pyongyang (North Korea) and Hanoi (Vietnam) which depart from Beijing. The trains also stop at other cities and towns along the route. International trains currently depart from Beijing West Railway Station and Beijing Railway Station.[9] The following is a guide to the international services which depart Beijing.
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