With an eye towards the upcoming Olympics, Beijing has just added the Line 5 to its public transportation network. The subway went into operation on October 7th.
Beijing is a city of 17 million people and is subject to increasing traffic and pollution problems. In an effort to alleviate both issues, the new 27.6 kilometer line will connect with the two existing subway lines as well as the Yizhuang Light Rail. To make public transportation even more appealing, the fare for subway travel has been reduced by one-third (from 3 RMB to 2 RMB). The train travels at an impressive 80km/hr (approx. 50mph) and makes the end-to-end trip much quicker than possible by car or bus.
The $1.45 billion subway project boasts some high-tech features: LCD plasma screens giving weather, traffic, and news updates at the station and onboard; cell phone access throughout the entire underground system; and people movers connecting terminals.
The world’s gaze will be squarely fixed on Beijing when it plays host to the 2008 Olympic Games. A major preliminary concern is the cities atrocious air quality. Beijing is not unique among hosts for its pollution: similar concerns arose regarding the 1984 Los Angeles Games and the 2004 Athens Games. In Los Angeles there were temporary restrictions placed on automobile and industrial pollution, and the improvement was dramatic.
Similar restrictions are planned for Beijing (a car-centric, freeway-laden city modeled after Los Angeles) and other Chinese urban centers during the upcoming Olympics. The new subway line will certainly help this cause. It’s unfortunate that it takes an event, such as the Olympics, to inspire a government to clean up its act (and its nation’s air). In the case of Los Angeles, things went back to “normal” following the 1984 event. However, the Line 5 will be a fixture with the power to effect long-term change.
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