Cards to ease travel between cities

Foreigners are likely to find it easier to travel between Beijing and Tianjin, municipalities in North China, with the help of "expresspay cards" that were introduced on Saturday.

Foreign commuters can take the cards to special electronic sensors installed on turnstiles in railway stations and use them to buy tickets and check in for their trips. Before now, such travelers had to pay for their journeys either at ticket windows or online.

The cards were issued by the Ministry of Railways and Bank of China and were put into use on Saturday.