Beijing Subway, Metro

Beijing Subway

Rickshaw Bicycle Waterway Tourist Bus Tourist Train Public Bus Subway Taxi

In Beijing, a blue sign marked with '北京地铁 (Beijing Subway)' indicates that there is a subway station nearby. Access to the subway station is marked by a square grey pillar on top of which is a lighted blue sign with the letter 'B'. The ticket window is at the entrance of the subway station. After buying a ticket, go downstairs to the platform to which you gain access by inserting your ticket into a machine, and wait there for the train. Inside the subway station, notices on the pillars provide detailed information and direct you to your destination. Station names are broadcast on the train in both Chinese and English.

The subway station is equipped with rest rooms, a commutation ticket office, entrance and exit lifts (elevators), public phones, and a lost and found office. Additionally, there are bookstalls, photo developing shops, bakeries, convenience stores, food stores and more.

Fare
Two Yuan Flat Fee System is implemented on the existing five Beijing subway lines. People can use 'Yikatong' IC cards or cash to buy tickets. A ticket entitles an adult to take one child whose height is less than 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) for free. Children less than 1.1 meters (3.6 feet) in height are not allowed to take the subway alone. The machine that examines the IC card requires just 300 milliseconds to recognize it. Swipe the card over the scanner, and wait until a beep is heard that informs that the IC card has been successfully read by the machine.

Subway Lines
Now, there are five lines in operation-the Subway Line 1, Subway Line 2, Subway Batong Line, Subway Line 13, and the Subway Line 5. Generally, the first run is at 05:00, and the last is at about 23:00.

Existing Subway:
Line 1 (straight line)
Line 2 (loop line)
Line 13 (above ground railroad)
Batong Line (Line 1 Extension)
Line 5: Tiantongyuanbei-Songjiazhuang

Subway under Construction or to be Constructed:
Line 4: Majialou-Longbeicun
Line 6: Wulu-Dongxiaoying
Line 10: Landianchang-Songjiazhuang
Olympic Branch Line (Phase 1 of Line 8)
Airport Extension (Line L1)
Yizhuang Light Rail (Line L2)

Future Subway (layout for 2012):
Line 7: Beijing West Railway Station-Nanhuayuan
Line 8: Huilongguan-Di'anmen
Line 9: World Park-Baishiqiao
Line 14: Lugouqiao-Laiguangying

Future Subway (Under planning):
Line 11: Xiangshan-Songjiazhuang
Line 12: Mentougou-Langfang
Line 15: Zhongyang Dangxiao-Shunyi
Line 16: Huilongguan-Jijiamiao

Hot Line Service
Beijing Subway
Tel: 010-6834 0565 (Monday-Friday, daytime)
010-6834 0563 (Monday-Friday, night, the whole day of Saturday and Sunday)
E-mail: dtservice@bjsubway.com
Supervisor for passenger transport:
010-6827 5087 (round-the-clock service)

Comments and Questions

May I ask, if I am staying at the Beijing Continental Grand Hotel near the Olympic Games Village, what is the transport option I can take to go to the Mutianyu Great Wall? Please also tell me the approximate travel time, and whether the place to get off is at the Great Wall entrance or is there a distance to walk to reach the entrance?
Thank you.

Reply3/9/2010 2:41:00 AMWilliam Lim , Malaysia

Linda :3/9/2010 8:08:00 PM

You have to go to Dongzhimeng Bus Station by subway or bus firstly, and then Take Bus No. 936 to Mutianyu directly.

Hi
Can you tell me how to travel from Tianjin Airport to my hotel in Beijing, which is the
Beijing Continental Grand Hotel, situated next to the Beijing International Convention Center, Address: No. 8 Beichen Dong Road, Chaoyang District.

Also, I am travelling with my wife and three children aged 13, 10 and 5, and with our luggage- can we fit into one taxi?

Thank you,
William

Reply3/7/2010 6:51:00 PMWilliam Lim , Malaysia

David :3/8/2010 7:47:00 PM

You can take the airport shuttle bus from Tianjin airport to Tianjin Railway Station, and then take a train to Beijing, and last tke a bus or subway to the hotel.

David :3/8/2010 7:49:00 PM

you may share one taxi.

Hi there, I will check out from a hotel close to the summer palace on the 2nd of january; if I take the subway from there (nearest to the summer palace) to the airport, how long should the trip more or less take?

Reply12/29/2009 6:27:00 PMhans de vries , Netherlands

Cherry :12/29/2009 7:43:00 PM

I think about one hour or more.

I will go to Beijing next month. Can I buy IC smart card at the airport? Can I use the IC card for airport express train? When I leave Beijing, where I can return the IC card to get the deposit? I heard that I have to wait for 7 days? Is it true?

Reply9/25/2009 5:05:00 AMSomjai Karnchanawong , Thailand

BeijingTrip.com :9/26/2009 2:32:00 AM

Yes, you can buy the IC smart card at Bus No. 359 Terminal (before 18:00) at the airport. You can use the card for subway, including the airport express train. You can get it at once and do not have to wait. The IC card for short period can be used for only seven days. You can return it at Fuxingmen Metro Station or at the offices of China Citic Bank.

Hello there, 2 adults arriving Beijing Airport 0730 mid week. What is the best way to travel to a Hotel in Xicheng district at that time of day please.
Thank you in anticipation of your reply.
regards Graeme

Reply9/20/2009 5:34:00 AMGraeme , New Zealand

BeijingTrip.com :9/21/2009 9:21:00 PM

Thanks for your inquiry.

You can take the Airport Bus Line 2 to Xidan where you may take a taxi to your hotel in Xicheng District.

Hello, we arrive at the Beijing train station in January in the middle of the day and wish to make our way to "Days Inn Forbidden City" hotel. Can you advise of the distance if we walk or other options. we would rather not catch a taxi.

(We are flying in to Tianjin in the morning and i have figured out how to catch the shuttle bus to the train station and the bullet to Beijing south)

Reply9/9/2009 12:14:00 AMJude , Australia

BeijingTrip.com :9/9/2009 9:52:00 PM

From which train station do you want to go to the Days Inn Forbidden City? Beijing Railway Station or Beijing South Railway Station?

Dear Beijing Trip,
We (a family of four) will be visiting Beijing in September. Would appreciate if you could help to answer a few transportation questions:-
- If we arrive at the Beijing Capital Airport at 11pm, can we still take the train/subway to our hotel near Chongwanmen station:
- Can we take the train from Chongwanmen to theh Great Wall; Ming Tomb and Summer Palace or it is better to hire a car?
Kind regards,

Reply8/10/2009 2:40:00 AMTan , Malaysia

BeijingTrip.com :8/10/2009 10:24:00 PM

Thank for your inquiry.

The business hours of Beijing Metro is from 5:00 am to 11:00pm. So taking a taxi should be a fast way from airport to Chongwenmen. But the most economical way is to take the airport bus to Beijing Railway Station and take a taxi to your hotel.

There is no direct bus or metro from Chongwenmen to Badaling. You can go to the Xizhimen by metro and take the S2 line from Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling; to Ming Tomb, you can catch tourist buses from Qianmen or Xuanwumen; to Summer Palace, you can also take a metro to Xizhimen and transfer to a bus. The price for hiring a car to those places could be at least CNY 600.

Thanks for your trust in beijingtrip.com!

Hi,
Do you have any travel pass/ticket for tourists? I will be in beijing for abt 10days, need to travel cheap

Reply6/16/2009 11:13:00 PMJIALING , Singapore