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Beijing Transportation

Beijing Railway
Beijing has long been the largest railway hub in China. Railway lines from Beijing to almost every part of China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kowloon, Harbin, Chengde, Tianjin etc, is available on schedule. There are four main railway stations in Beijing, which are the Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station and Beijing North Railway Station. A very strong traditional 1950’s design can be seen from the Beijing Railway Station architectural design which was put into service in 1950. It is located at an extremely centered location which is just next to Jianguomen. Due to the rapid increase of traffic load, Beijing West Railway Station was opened in 1996. Beijing West Railway Station has therefore take over the traffic which arrives from northern part of Beijing (including Harbin, Shenyang and Dalian), Eastern part of Beijing (including Qingdao and Jinan) as well as traffic from Eastern Seaboard (Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou). Beijing North Railway Station which was formally known as Xizhimen Station is another railway station in Beijing. It is a smaller station when compared to the rest of three railway station in Beijing and it serves mostly intercity train to and forth North and North West part of Beijing city. Beijing South Railway Station is a massive and new railway station which opened in August 1, 2008. This railway station is reported to be the largest railway station in Asia and serves as the terminus for Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Rail, the high-speed trains to the city which can reach up to 350 km/h.

Beijing Roads
As the capital of China, Beijing is well connected to every part of China via road links and as a part of China National Trunk Road Network. An elaborated five ring roads which appears more likely to rectangular shape rather than ring-shaped has been developed within Beijing city throughout the history. Perhaps it is due to the status Beijing as an ancient city or the traditional culture of Chinese people, roads in Beijing are basically in one of the four compass directions. With the Forbidden City area as the geographical centre, the ring roads which successively surround the city have made up the Beijing major urban transportation. The calculation of ring roads is begun with 2nd ring road which is located within Beijing’s inner city center since the first ring road is not officially defined. The ubiquitous traffic jams in Beijing has long been a major concern for each and everyone in Beijing. Traffic in Beijing city is always a headache especially during rush hour. Changan Street which is the main street connects between East and West part of Beijing, is one of the most congested area throughout Beijing city. Local buses are most common transportation method among Beijing city, but this method is not recommended for those who are not able to understand basic communication in mandarin. Besides that, all taxis are metered and charged a standard starting fee and a per kilometers fee after first three kilometers. However, most taxi drivers are not English literate. So please get ready with addresses written in Mandarin.

Air
Beijing Capital International Airport which is located about 20 kilometers to the North East of Beijing city centre and being one of the largest airports in the world is the main hub of airways reaching China. This airport which serves as the most important gateway to the capital of China has currently available with three terminals. Most international flights are landed at either Terminal 2 or Terminal 3. For the convenience of transit passengers especially for those who are going to transit between terminals, complimentary shuttle bus between terminals is available. Moreover, the Airport Express which offers an express way to the heart of Beijing within 30 minutes is the most suitable transportation method especially for those who would like to escape from the crowded traffic of Beijing city. On top of that, this express way is connected to Beijing Subway system at Line 10 and Line 2 which provide the fastest route for those who are in rush of time. There are some other airports in Beijing, such as Nanyuan Airport, Xijiao Airport, Beiyuan Airport, Liangxiang Airport, Shahe Airport, Tongxian Airport, Miyun Airport, Badaling Airport etc. However, majority of these airports are for military used and is less known to the public.

Subway
Beijing Subway system can be considered as the best way to travel around in Beijing. Major attractions are mostly reachable by Beijing subway system. Since the establishment of Beijing Subway system in 1971, it has encountered a huge development and keeps on expansion especially for the purpose of Beijing Olympic 2008. There are a total of 7 lines on service at this moment excluding Beijing Airport Express. Line 1 is the oldest subway line available in Beijing which connects between Pingguoyuan (West part of Beijing) and Sihuidong (East part of Beijing). Major subway train of Line 1 has been replaced by new ones, however, some old train are still in service. Line 2 which run a loop under the 2nd ring road, Line 5 which connects between Tiantongyuanbei (North part of Beijing) and Songjiazhuang (South part of Beijing), Line 8 which reaches the Olympic Green, Line 10 which connects between Bagou (North West part Beijing) and Jinsong (South East part Beijing), Line 13 which runs a semi-looping from Dongzhimen to Xizhimen, and Batong Line which runs from Sihui to Tuqiao at eastern part of Beijing are servicing the public and wishing to provide a high quality transportation method to locals and foreigners as well. Nowadays, the constructions of Beijing Subway are still in process and are estimated to be completed in 2015. It is hope to ensure every corner of Beijing city is well-connected by subway system.

Check Beijing Subway map here