There are 2 underground lines are operating in Beijing. The East-west Line runs from Shijingshan in the west suburbs to Sihui Dong, and the other is Loop Line which actually runs under the original city walls (now the route of the 2nd ringroad) and passes Beijing Railway Station. The two lines join at Fuxingmen, and you have to walk up or down to change train. Except during the rush hour, the underground is not as crowded as the buses and is much quicker. The first train starts at 5:10 a.m. and the last train ends at 11:15 p.m. Unfortunately, having only two lines, it serves limited parts of the city.
In order to serve more parts of Beijing, there are now two other subway lines in operation, the No.13 line in the north has connected Xizhimen and Dongzhimen (the 2 main subway stations on the Loop Line ) via Huilongguan at Changping county, and the 'Ba Tong' Line 1 extension in the east. Besides, some new subway lines are under construction now and will be in operation before 2007. Among them, No.4 line will start from Guogongzhuang, passing by Xidan Shopping Avenue from south to north, and end at Beigongmen(North Palace Gate of the Summer Palace), covering a total length of 30 kms. No.5 line will start from Songjiazhuang at the south part of Beijing, passing by Dongdan Shopping Avenue(which is also called as Yin Jie, the Silver Street), end at Taipingzhuang at north of Beijing, total 27.7-km-long. In addition, there is an Olympic Line will be in operation soon, which will take an important role in transportations between main Olympic venues in 2008. More subways and light rail lines will also be built to serve the outskirts of Beijing, and by 2020, if all goes to plan, Beijing will have 16 subway lines, 6 light rails, and 6 railways.
The basis fare is 3 yuan per entry. Beijing so far does not have auto-ticket machines, and magnetic tickets are used not very common for locals and tourists. You have to line up to buy a ticket at the ticket office at each station. Stations are announced over the train's speaker system, in Chinese and English, but, as it is often difficult to hear, it is better to count the number of stations until you reach your destination. The names of stations are displayed in Chinese characters and pinyin. If unfortunately you fail to get off at the right station in the Circle Line, you can take the next train back without buying another ticket. But, if this mistake happens in other lines, such as No. 13, you shall buy another ticket for going back.
