Beijing to invest another $64 bln in subway expansion in 6 years   

北京6年内拟再投4000亿元建地铁

A subway car in Beijing is full of passengers. (Photo: Beijing Morning Post)

(ECNS) – Beijing is planning to invest another 400 billion yuan ($64.4 billion) in the expansion of its subway system, with tracks expected to reach 1,000 kilometers by 2020, the Beijing Morning Post reported.

According to Beijing Infrastructure Investment Co., LTD, which co-operates with the subway, its lines will grow to 22 in 2015, and another 12 lines will be constructed by 2020.

Beijing's subway has 17 lines and 465 km of track in operation. But the existing network still cannot meet the city's mass transit needs, as the daily ridership has exceeded 11 million. Several subway cars have achieved a 130 percent load factor during rush hours in some stations.

Beijing has been mulling price hikes for bus and subway fares. Local authorities have launched public transportation reform, soliciting public comments on the price hikes.

The Beijing subway still implements a flat fare of 2 yuan ($0.32) per ride, with unlimited transfers to all lines except for its airport express line, which is the lowest among all rapid transit systems in China.