As more metro lines begin operation, getting around in the underground labyrinth may require more help. Fortunately, passengers in Beijing won't have a tough time getting around. Peter Koveos tells us how the new subway lines are designed to make your trip easy and comfortable.

 

Song Jiazhuang is a transfer station, linking Line 5 and the newly opened Yizhuang Line. During rush hour, fifty thousand passengers are expected to board here.

This station is designed in a curve shape, leaving larger areas to accommodate more passengers.

Jin Puwen, Party Secretary of Song Jiazhuang Station, said, "Because of the curve, the train will be relatively far from the station. So we put rubber mats to make sure passengers can get on and off the train safely."

Song Jiazhuang is not the only station that will deal with a large number of passenger.

The station of the new China International Exhibition Center, built along Line 15, also will deal with passengers rushing to attend various exhibitions.

Yu Le, chief designer of Beijing Subway Line 15, said, "The station hall is extremely large, covering an area of 18-hundred square meters. More ticket vendors and gates are installed. The exit of the station is ten meters wide. And the signs are more detailed."

The five new lines link suburbs around Beijing. For passengers not familiar with routes, information maps can help.

Yang Ling, spokeswoman of Beijing MTR Corporation, said, "Passengers can press the button of the departure station and the destination. Available routes will be automatically given. Along the Daxing Line, two such devices are installed at every station."

What else did the subway designers think of?

They even installed heated seats on trains running on Line 15. Taking the subway during the chilly Beijing winter is more pleasant now.

Barrier-free facilities, cell phone chargers, ATMs, and convenient links with bus stations, it all designed to make your trip easier.