Direct subway to link stations

By Cui Xiaohuo | China Daily | Updated: 2009-10-28 08:12

A new underground rail service will shuttle between two of the city's major train terminals by 2012.

The 9-km track will run between Beijing Railway Station in central Beijing and Beijing West Railway Station in southwest Beijing, said the Beijing municipal commission of housing and urban construction yesterday.

The journey, which will undercut the city's busiest roads, is expected to take about 20 minutes.

It is expected that by 2012, trains traveling to Beijing will shuttle about 100,000 passengers between the two stations per day.

"Travel time for tourists will be significantly reduced and their commute will not add to the crowded subway and roads in downtown Beijing," said Wang Chengzhi, a senior official overseeing the project.

The official refused to reveal the cost of the project, but the Beijing Evening News yesterday estimated the budget to be around 3.1 billion yuan ($454 million).

Tang Yun, a 30-year-old businessman from Zhengzhou, capital of Henan province, told METRO the new service would benefit tourists.

"Beijing is too big to travel in for a lot of tourists like me. With the new rail line, I can get off at different locations in the city in less time," he said.

Meanwhile, plans continue for high-speed railway links between Beijing and major destinations nationwide. The Beijing-Shanghai railway, Beijing-Shijiazhuang railway and Beijing-Shenyang railway are set for completion in 2012.

The government wants the capital to be accessible to major cities in China within 8 hours by high-speed train.