Transport in Beijing - By Subway

The subway is the most reliable form of public transport. There are just no traffic jams under the ground (yet), crazy taxi and bus drivers just don’t seem to be an issue, and reasonable spacing between the trains means you never have to wait on the platform for more than five minutes during the daytime, but crowded wagons are not uncommon during the rush hours. This also reflects that more and more people can afford the relatively expensive subway ride. Beijing presently has four subway lines, and many more are being built.

Line 1 (red) goes along Chángān Jiē (see “Orientation in Beijing”) from Sìhuì Dōng in the East (Eastern Fourth Ring) to Píngguŏyuán in the West (outside the Western Fifth Ring).  Some of the more important stops from East to West are: Jiànguómén, Dōngdān (see “Shopping”), Wángfŭjĭng (see “Shopping” and “Eating Out”), Tiānānmén East, Tiānānmén West, Xīdān (see “Shopping”), and Fùxīngmén. These are also all the stops of Line 1 within the Second Ring.

The stations of Line 1 have been recently renovated, and look quite nice, especially the ones mentioned above. Some new trains are also running along the line; let’s hope the cleanliness stays as good as it is now on these trains.

Line 2 (blue), or the “Loop Line” goes along the Second Ring in the North, but separates from it just South of Cháng’ān Jiē, and passes South of Tiān’ānmén Square, making a loop, as its name suggests (see map for illustration). No matter in which direction you take this line, you can get to the same stations. The time it takes to get there is, of course, different in the two directions. If you are uncertain in which direction it is faster for you to reach your destination, a look at the timetables at the two sides of the platform can help you. These tables are located on the pillars just after you descend the stairs, and are very straightforward: they only contain the names of the stations, and the time it takes to get there from your current position. A quick look at both sides will tell you which one is faster.

The most useful stop on the Loop Line is of course the Gulou Stop, which brings you straight to the Hutong School Courtyard. Some other important stops on the Loop Line are (starting from Jiànguómén and going north): Jiànguómén, Dōngzhímén, Yōnghégōng, Xīzhímén, Fùchéngmén (see “Shopping”), Qiánmén etc.

As you can see, Line 1 and Line 2 are crossing each other at two places: Jiànguómén and Fùxīngmén. It is possible to change lines at these two stations.

Logically enough, the third line, which was opened to the public in early 2002, is called Line 13. We might laugh at this now, but there is a possibility that within a few years there will be lines 3-12, and will be numbered in a system that required this line to be called Line 13. Above the existing lines described above and below, three more are scheduled to be completed before the 2008 Olympic Games.

Line 13 (yellow) is actually a light rail that goes on or above ground level at most sections, and makes a big semi circle from Xīzhímén to Dōngzhímén, and the other way round, passing through the Northern suburbs of Beijing. If traveling between the two terminuses of this line, you’ll be much faster with the Loop Line. The good thing in Line 13 is that it passes through the northern university area at “Wŭdàokŏu”, which also offers cheap shopping and bars. Xīzhímén can now be reached in 10 minutes from Wŭdàokŏu, while before Line 13 was built, it took around 40 minutes.

“Bātōng Line” (purple) is an extension of Line 1 further east, and is also a light rail like line 13. It starts from Sìhuì (Intersection of Cháng’ān Jiē and Eastern Fourth Ring, and passes through the eastern university area, where the Second Foreign Language University and the Broadcasting University are. You can change to/from Line 1 at Sìhuì or Sìhuì East without exiting the station. This line is of less use for those who do not want to roam around in the eastern suburbs, where there is little exciting to do.

Line 5 (violet) is the first north-south line stretching all the way from Tiantongyuan in the north to Songjiazhuang in the south. This display of modernization is especially striking if one compares the old lines to the new one. It seems like all has improved: speed, stations, air...even the people seem less grumpy. From a city-planning point of view, the significance of Line 5 lies in taking away the pressure from Line 2 serving the Business District in the East. Therefore, its most important section runs parallel to Line 2 from Dongzhimen to Jianguomen. Line 5 intersects with Line 2 in Yonghegong and Chongwenmen, with Line 1 in Dongdan and with Line 13 in Huixin Xijie Nankou.  

Subway Tickets: Tickets can be purchased at every subway station before entering the platform itself. The price for tickets for all lines has been fixed at 2 RMB for the time being. It is possible to change between all lines without buying a new ticket or exiting the station. 

Prepaid cards have been introduced to make access of the subway system more efficient. They can be "borrowed" at most subway stations for a deposit of 20 RMB + however much credit one desires.  Although using these cards does not entitle the holder to a discounted ticket (on the bus it does, however) it seems like almost every Beijinger now brandishes one of these revolutionary smart cards and you better get one too lest you be left out.

Please click here for a map of the Chinese subway system.