Beijing Transportation
Airplane
For sure you will use Beijing Capital International Airport when traveling by plane either inbound or outbound to or from Beijing. The airport is situated close to Shunyi District, which is approximately 25 km northeast of the city centre. Due to the 2008 Olympic Games, the airport has already finished some renovations. The airport now boasts three terminals, with Terminal 3 being one of the largest terminal under one roof in the world. Most domestic and nearly international flights arrive at and depart from Beijing Capital Airport. The Capital Airport is the main hub for Air China (located in terminal 3). It links Beijing with almost every other Chinese city with regular air passenger service.
Other airports in the city include Beijing Liangxiang Airport, Beijing Nan Yuan Airport, Beijing Xijiao Airport, Beijing Shahe Airport and Beijing Badaling Airport. Nan Yuan serves as the hub for only one passenger airline, and these airports are primarily for military use and less well-known to the public.
As mentioned already, Beijing Capital Airport consists of two former terminals (terminal 1 and 2) and one new terminal (terminal 3) For some people it is sometimes confusing from which terminal their flight is departing or in which terminal they can pick up their arriving friends or relatives. Therefore we have this handy schedule:
All terminals are linked by a free of charge Inter-Terminal Shuttle Bus Service (directions and signs can be found at the airport). So if you get to a wrong terminal or you want to have a transit at different terminals of Beijing capital airport, you can use the Inter-Terminal Shuttle Bus Service. They will be running a service every 10 minutes. The free shuttle buses are leaving from Terminal 3 for Terminal 2 and ends at Terminal 1, vice versa. Each bus takes about 15 minutes for one-way. Operating hours: every 10 minutes at 06:00AM - 11:00PM; Every 30 minutes from 11:00PM to 6:00AM next day
Beijing Capital Airport is linked with central Beijing by the Airport Expressway and is a roughly 40-minute drive from the city centre during good traffic hours. Prior to the 2008 Olympics, another expressway, the 2nd Airport Expressway, was built to the Airport. Toll charge of ¥10 will apply for cars entering the airport and another ¥10 for exiting.
Taxi
Taking the taxi can be more economical when traveling with 4 people in total, depending on destination of course! To the closest subway station (Sanyuanqiao) cost about ¥70. This includes a ¥10 toll fee. When heading for central Beijing it could get up to ¥100-¥120. A good preparation is needed here as most of the drivers don't speak any foreign languages. Just write down the whole address in Chinese characters or mention the ring road, exit, street and building.
Airport Shuttle Buses
The Airport Shuttle Buses (air-conditioned) are departing from outside the terminals (close to the arrivals) There are currently nine lines operating services to city destinations:
-Xidan -Wangjing
-Gongzhufen -Beijing West Train Station
-Zhongguancun -Beijing Railway Station
-Fangzhuang -Tongzhou
-Shangdi.
The most popular route is to Xidan in central Beijing, a short walk from the Forbidden City. The other routes are to Gongzhufen in west Beijing and to Zhongguancun, northwest of the city, Fangzhuang at south Beijing and Beijing Railway Station. The shuttle also stops at major hotels on the way. Shuttle Bus ticket: ¥16.
Airport Express Line
In operation since July 2008 this Airport Express Line serves as a public transport line between Beijing Capital Airport with stops at terminal 3 and 2 and the vast Beijing Subway System with stops at Sanyuanqiao (connecting line 10) and Dongzhimen.( connecting line 2 and 13).
The service interval is 15 minutes and it takes approximately 30 minutes to go from Dongzhimen to Terminal 2. One way ticket costs ¥25.
Operating hours of the Airport Express Line are 6:00am-10:30pm departing from Dongzhimen outbound. City-bound trains depart Terminal 3 from 6:21am to 10:51pm and Terminal 2 from 6:35am to 11:10pm.
Train
Beijing has been the largest railway hub in China for a long time. There are railway lines from Beijing to Shanghai, Guangzhou, Kowloon, Harbin, Qinhuangdao, Baotou, Yuanping, Chengde, and Tianjin. As of 1 August 2006, Beijing Railway Station (subway station: Beijing Railway Station) has about 180 trains stopping daily, while Beijing West Railway Station (subway station: Military Museum, then take bus) has 176 trains. These two railway stations serve as major transportation nodes in the city.
Beijing Railway Station
This station once uses to serve as the only rail station in Beijing until the traffic around the station became unbearable. Beijing West Station then was build in 1996 and took over some lines.
Generally there are trains leaving for Manchuria (including Harbin, Shenyang and Dalian), Shandong (including Qingdao, Jinan), Eastern Seaboard (including Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou) as well as for Inner and Outer Mongolia depart from this station. The rest are departing from Beijing West Station Some international lines (notably the railway line linking Beijing to Pyongyang, North Korea (DPRK), amongst others), also depart from this station
Beijing South Railway Station
The state-of-the-art Beijing South Railway Station opened in August 2008, and serves as the Beijing terminus for the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed train, the fastest regular passenger train service in the world, as well as all other high-speed CRH trains. International trains to cities in Mongolia, Russia, and North Korea, all run through Beijing.
Beijing West Railway Station
Trains departing from Beijing West are leaving for destinations in the west of mainland China (including Xi'an, Chongqing and Chengdu, and transcontinental trains for Lhasa and Urumqi) and the Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Kowloon Main Trunk Lines.
The well-known Jingjiu Railway, or Beijing-Kowloon Railway line, begins from this railway station. It is possible to catch a direct train to Lhasa from this station since the opening of the Qingzang railway in 2006.
Several other railway stations in urban Beijing handle regular passenger traffic: Beijing North, Beijing East, Fengtai and other smaller stations. There are also a number of other stations serving suburban areas. Passenger trains in China are numbered according to their direction in relation to Beijing.
It is well recommended and strongly advised to arrive at the station at least one hour prior to the departure time. As these stations happens to be big, crowded and sometimes very confusing to find the right train and track. The poor traffic conditions around the stations are also not a big help.
Type of trains
C Train: The C Train at present only refers to the High-speed express passenger train running between Beijing and Tianjin designed with the highest speed of 350 km. This Beijing-Tianjin bullet train features cleanness, low noise, elegant-looking and speed. Now C typle train is the fastest of this kind in operation around the world.
D Train: D Train refers to "China Railway High-speed (CRH)" in English, a kind of China styled Bullet Train. This kind of train is the most modern and advanced train in China at present. The "D Train" of this kind is likened to "Multiple Unit"(MU) in English. It can reach 200-350km/h. Usually it offers the First class seat and Second class seat. It is clean and comfortable, and the inside of the train is quite different from the other trains. All the seats face the same way. There is a screen that shows how fast the train is going.
Z Train: Z Train refers to "Thorough Express Train" in English. Z Train is the most popular and important in China. It is a thorough train without any stops on routes before getting to the destination. This kind of train usually runs between big cities ( capital cities of provinces ). Most of the Z Trains start in the evening and reach the destination in the next morning and overnight on the train. The train has two-bed cabins and 4-bed cabins both for soft sleeper and hard sleeper tickets. This kind of train also offers hard seats, popular among Chinese local travellers. The train has air-conditioned system, hot water, western styled toilet. There is a restaurant car on the train to serve three meals.
T Train: T Train refers to "Express Train" in English. Unlike "Thorough Express Train", this kind of train stops at important big cities on route before reaching the destination. So T Train is usually more crowded than Z Train. Its tickets are composed of hard seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper. It boasts of air-condition, restaurant compartment, toilet and washing room.
K Train: K Train refers to "Fast Train" in English. This kind of train is of course slower than "Z" and "T" trains with more stops on route. K Train is also equipped with air-condition system. It has a restaurant compartment, Chinese styled toilet and public washing room. The K Train ticket includes hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper.
" 4 Number " Ordinary Train: This is a slow train stopping at small towns or cities on route. It is named by 4 numbers, such as train 1115(Beijing-Datong). Most of the passengers are local common people, villagers and vendors. Most of the trains don't have air-condition system, but with Chinese styled toilet and no restaurant Car.
Classes
Hard Seat: Hard Seat is cheapest way to go around in China. The hard-ticket car is usually very crowded. Very often you will find many people stand in the hard-seat car. Doing an overnight in hard seat can be awful. The seats make sleep improbable. Seat carriage toilets - squatting holes over the naked tracks - clog and stink up fast.
Soft Seat: Soft Seat is only available for the train drive between 1-5 hours for fast trains. The soft-seat car is clean and comfortable. Soft Seat is not quite so costly.
The soft-seat is a nice way of traveling between the cities at shorter distance.
Hard Sleeper: A hard sleeper ticket entitles you to sleep in a 6-bed open cabin. The cabin has no door without any privacy. The hard-sleeper cabins are often noisy. There is a squat toilet and a washing room at each end of each car. The food trolleys pass back and forth along the narrow car corridor. You can buy some cheap food and drinks. If you pay more, you can have your meal in the restaurant car.
Soft Sleeper: If you have a soft sleeper train ticket, it means you will overnight in a 4-bed cabin or 2-bed cabin. The cabin has a door with much privacy. The soft-sleeper cabins are often clean and comfortable. There is a squat toilet and a washing room at each end of each car. The food trolleys pass back and forth along the narrow car corridor. You can buy some cheap food and drinks. If you pay more, you can have your meal in the restaurant car.
Subway
Beijing was the first city in China to have a city subway network, currently Subway Line 1, Line 2 (the loop line), Batong line, or Bawangfen to Tongzhou, Line 5 (Liujiayao - Tiantongyuan), Line 8 (also called Olympic Special Line), Line 10(Jinsong - Bagou), and the light rail Line No. 13 are in use. The northern part of the city is serviced by the light rail Line No. 13. Line 4 has been opened recently and is now fully operational. Line 6 is still under construction.
Traveling with the Beijing subway is very fast, easy and convenient. Many attractions or points of interest are not far from any Beijing subway station, making it a pleasant transportation for all travelers. There are security checks at every station to ensure the safety of all passengers. The cost of a single ride in the Beijing Subway is ¥2. You can both use the Public Transportation Card or buy a ticket at the Beijing Subway vendor.
There is a simple trick to count out your traveling time with the subway. Each and every ride between two consecutive stations takes approximately two to three minutes.
Bus
Beijing has a fleet of modern, (non) air-conditioned vehicles, using environmentally friendly fuel systems. The Beijing bus system is more complicated than the subway as it is a maze of different routes. Some buses have conductors, the others have not. The most important thing to know is the correct bus number and the stop you want. The cost of travelling on the Beijing busses is only ¥1 per person each way. When using the Smartcard (Yikatong) it can be only ¥0,40 to ¥0,80, depending on how far you go.
There are more than 500 bus routes in the city. Basically, you can travel to any destination by using its huge but complex bus system.
Bus Lines:
Buses in Beijing are numbered from 1 to 999. Line numbers in different range means different service areas as follows:
Lines 1-199: Operates in inner city. For most travelers, these lines are adequate for their visits.
Lines 200-299: Night services in inner city.
Lines 300-399: Operates in outer city / suburb. Travelers should take these lines for their visits to some remote places such as the Summer Palace
Lines 400-599: Community services or services to outer city/suburbs
Lines 600-799: Operates with routes both in inner city and outer city. Usually these lines have longer routes
Lines 800-899: Air-conditioned.
Lines 900-999: Operates from inner city to rural area. Travelers can take these services to remote places such as the Great Wall.
Bus fares
Beijing has introduced a simplified and reduced bus fare system from Jan 1, 2007 as follows.
Lines Pay by cash Pay by smartcart(Yikatong)
1-199 ¥1 flat rate ¥0.40 flat rate
200-299 ¥2 flat rate ¥0.40 flat rate
300-499 ¥1 for first 12km
¥0.50 for each additional 5km. ¥0.40 flat rate
500-899 ¥1 for first 12km
¥0.50 for each additional 5km. ¥0.40 for first 12km
¥0.20 for each additional 5km.
900-999 ¥1 for first 10km
¥0.50 for each additional 5km. ¥0.80 for first 10km
¥0.40 for each additional 5km.
Bus Pass
3-day, 7-day and 14-day short-term bus passes are available for travelers.
Smartcard (Yikatong)
Like many other major cities in Asia, Beijing also has a modern infrastructure for a stored value card system called the Beijing Municipal Administration and Communication Card or Smartcard (Yikatong).
The card can be bought at most ticket counters at Beijing Subway stations and some bus stations against a deposit of ¥20. Value can be added on these cards in units of ¥10 at the sales counters and in units of ¥ 20, 50, or 100 in the Beijing Add Value & ticketing machines. The deposit is used to cover non-sufficient funds for a single trip, and can be refunded when the card is returned.
When paying by the card, passengers get 60% off the normal bus fare. For example, a single ticket for bus lines 1-199 is ¥1. For passengers paying by card, a same ticket costs ¥0.4 only. However, paying by Yikatong card gives no discount on subway or taxi fares.
The previous monthly passes have been canceled. Instead, 3 kinds of short-term passes were introduced in Feb 2, 2007 for tourists. They are 3-day, 7-day and 14-day passes, which cost ¥10, ¥20, and ¥40 respectively, with usage limitations as 18, 42, and 90 respectively. Those cards also require ¥20 deposit, which will be refunded. No refills available for those short term cards. No photo is required, and cards can be transferred.
The card can now be used at select supermarkets and restaurants, such as Hua Guan and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises.
Taxi
Taking the taxi in Beijing is a very convenient form of transportation. It can take you anywhere (as long as you know how to pronounce the destination correctly)! Sometimes there are special designated taxi stands where you can take a taxi, otherwise you should do it the New York way! But do remember to use the taxi fare meter as an indicator. Trying to be the hero by negotiating in price often ends up with a higher tariff. Beijing taxi’s are in different colors and can be recognized by the taxi signs on the car. Do not accept solicitations for rides from strangers. Those are illegally operated and use unmarked vehicles. They may cost more than taxis since many travelers do not know the exact cost of rides
The start tariff in Beijing is ¥10 which includes the first 3 kilometer. After that you'll pay ¥2 per extra kilometer. Tariff can also be influenced by the waiting time, making it impossible to use the distance as a fee indicator.
It is recommended to ask for the receipt after every ride. This can help you when left something behind in the taxi or having the feeling that the taxi driver is cheating or mistreating you. With this receipt you can go to the local police station where they can provide any needed assistance.
Always try to avoid using ¥100-bills to pay for short rides. Taxi drivers are not keen on giving away their change, and it is not uncommon to get counterfeit smaller notes for change. Taxis are very hard to catch during peak hours and when it's raining so be prepared to wait for a while or walk to a busy pick-up location. Non-Chinese might be disgusted at the "lack" of courtesy or lines while waiting for a taxi, so don't be afraid to "jump in" and get one.
Tourist Pedi cab (Riksha)
Pedi cabs or rikshas are another option to see this ancient city. During rush hours pedicabs are a favorite means of transport. Basically Pedi cabs can be called in the busy and crowded city center or famous attractions. The fare is higher than a taxi and the tourists are supposed to tip the rider if the service is good.
Bicycle
China is reputed as the "Kingdom of Bicycle," but in recent years more and more Chinese city dwellers use cars. George W. Bush, the current president of the USA rode a bike in Beijing on his first visit to China about 30 years ago. Many hotels offer bicycle rental service at 20 to 30 Yuan per day however a deposit is required.
You can see a lot of Beijing by biking through the city. Once you get on a bike and cycling among other Chinese in the bike lane you just feel like one of them. It is charming because you can control your own pace of traveling. Stop for a local lunch when you want and continue your trip whenever you want. When you are on a bike there is no such word as traffic jams.
