Beijing will build more subway lines and a city rail track as well as fast bus routes so that traveling in Beijing will be easier, faster, safer and more environmentally friendly.
By 2008, three more subway lines and one light rail track linking the city to the airport will be complete and will service the Olympic venues directly. Another four lines, including some extensions to existing lines and a new line out to Yizhuang Development Zone, southeast of Beijing, will be completed by 2010.
By then the total length of Beijing roads will be 270 kilometers, double the current amount. Beijing hopes that it will only take 50 minutes for residents inside the fifth ring road to travel within the city. People living outside the fifth ring road should be able to reach the city center within one hour and it should take suburban residents no longer than 2 hours. Authorities hope it will take no longer than 3 hours to travel between Beijing and surrounding cities.
Beijing authorities plan to build 14 fast straight roads and 3 fast loop roads that will crisscross the whole city. There will be a few north-south and east-west main roads linking both sides of the city. It is expected that public transportation will carry approximately 40 percent of commuters every day.
Beijing's other ambition is to ensure every motor vehicle has a parking space. There will be more public parking spaces made available in the city while in suburban areas, Beijing will build parking facilities where people can park their cars and then change to public transportation.
Beijing wants to link the super-highways with suburban areas and other cities. Within the city center, there will be a subway linking Beijing Railway Station and Beijing West Railway Station.
Beijing also plans to build roads linking the city to Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei province, and Qinhuangdao, to the northeast of Beijing. Beijing plans to shorten the travel time between Beijing and Tianjin to half an hour and Beijing to Qinhuangdao, a 500 kilometer journey, to within 3 hours.
Beijing will begin work on another airport before 2010; the location has already been chosen.
The extensions currently being made to the existing Beijing airport will be completed by 2008, which will enable it to receive 60 million passengers every year.
An express railway will be constructed between Beijing and Shanghai so that traveling between these two major cities will take just 5 hours.
Beijing is the capital of China and has 12 million permanent residents and a migrant population of over 3 million.
Source:佚名