Beijing's image must be capital

Huge crowds, long waits to get through security checks, and great difficulty getting a taxi, along with the rampant operation of unlicensed ones - these are what passengers have complained about most after suffering unpleasant experiences at Beijing South Railway Station.

As the capital's largest railway station and one of the biggest in Asia, the station was once hailed as a symbol of China's ultramodern transport system - with seamless transit and people-oriented services - when it was completed nearly 10 years ago prior to the Beijing Olympic Games. Yet recent media reports about the chaotic scenes and its mismanagement have once again exposed the ugly side behind the stylish architecture.

It is not the first time that its poor management has been brought into the spotlight. There have long been reports of how unlicensed cabdrivers, in collusion with station employees, charge passengers 10 times the normal fare. Yet sadly the situation has gone unchecked, and it has steadily been getting worse.