BEIJING TRANSPORTATION |
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Beijing is a true transportation hub. Four completed ring roads encircle a city with nine expressways heading out in virtually all compass directions, supplemented by eleven China National Highways, a good number of railway routes, and a major airport.
Rail
Beijing has two major railway stations: Beijing Railway Station (or the central station) and Beijing West Railway Station. Five other railway stations in Metropolitan Beijing handle regular passenger traffic: Beijing East, Beijing North, Beijing South, Fengtai, and Guanganmen. |
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Railways
Beijing is a railway hub of all mainland China. Railway lines to
Guangzhou, Shanghai, Harbin, Baotou, Taiyuan, Chengde,
Qinhuangdao and Kowloon radiate out of Beijing.
International trains, including lines to Russia and Pyongyang,
North Korea (DPRK), all run through Beijing. Direct trains to
Hong Kong also leave Beijing.
Roads and Expressways
Beijing is connected via road links from all parts of China. Nine
expressways of China connect with Beijing, as do eleven China National
Highways.
One of the biggest concerns with traffic in Beijing deals with its
apparently ubiquitous traffic jams. Traffic in the city centre is often
gridlocked, especially around rush hour. (Even outside of rush hour, several
roads still remain clogged up with traffic.) Topping out areas with frequent
traffic jams are areas such as the eastern and western 2nd and 3rd Ring
Roads, the northern 4th Ring Road, Shangqing Bridge, Jianguo Road, and
Xidaokou.
One big problem is that public transportation is underdeveloped (the
underground system is presently minimal) and that even buses are jam-packed
with people around rush hour. Compounding the problem is problematic
enforcement of road regulations and road rage. Beijing authorities claim
that traffic jams may be a thing of a past come the 2008 Olympics. The
authorities have introduced several bus lanes where, during rush hour, all
vehicles except for public buses must keep clear of the special lanes.
Roads in Beijing often are in one of the four compass directions (unlike,
for example, Tianjin). Additionally, five ring roads (including one
partially open), nine expressways, and numerous fast through routes and
China National Highways all form a sophisticated traffic infrastructure.
Chang'an Avenue runs through the centre of Beijing, past Tian'anmen.
Air
Beijing's main airport is the Beijing Capital International Airport near
Shunyi, which is about 20 km northeast of Beijing proper. This is where most
domestic and nearly all international flights land and depart. Capital
Airport is the hub for Air China. It is served by the Airport Expressway and
is a roughly 40-minute-drive from City Center during good traffic hours.
Other airports in the city include Liangxiang Airport, Nanyuan Airport,
Xijiao Airport and Badaling Airport. However, these are less well-known.
Public Transit
The evolving Beijing Subway has four lines (two above ground, two
underground), with several more being built in preparation for the 2008
Summer Olympics. There are hundreds of bus routes in the city, as well as
many trolleybus routes. Taxis are nearly ubiquitous, and some can accept
Yikatong cards for payment.
Buses and trolleybus fares cost 1 Renminbi for shorter trips, and more for
longer trips. Subway tickets range from 2 to 5 Renminbi. Taxi fares depend
on vehicle type: these start at 10 Renminbi for the first 3 to 4 kilometers,
and go up by 1.20, 1.60, 2.00, or 2.50 Renminbi per extra kilometer. |
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