big public transport news

Excellent news to match the experimental traffic restrictions! 新京报/The Beijing News’ Li Liqiang reports that not only is the subway to be dramatically extended, it will reach all the way to the Sixth Ring Road and within the Fourth Ring Road you won’t have to walk more than one kilometre to reach a subway station. And they’re going to keep the prices low.

北京轨道交通网将直达六环

Beijing’s rail transport network to reach Sixth Ring

四环内实现平均步行一公里即到地铁站，低价公交政策不变

Within the Fourth Ring there will be one subway on average every kilometre, public transport low-cost policy won’t change

昨日，北京市交通委公布了北京优先发展公共交通的计划，明确低价公交政策趋势不会变，今后两年，公交专用道将延长到450公里，阜石路、广渠路均将建设快速公交线。这些被认为是上周公布的机动车限行政策的补充。

Yesterday, Beijing Municipal Transport Committee announced the plan to prioritise the development of public transport and made clear that the direction of the low-cost public transport policy would not change. In the two years from today, the length of special bus lanes would be extended to 450 kilometres and express bus lanes would be built on Fushi Lu and Guangqu Lu. These are thought to be complementary to the traffic restriction policy announced last week.

The article is then broken into sections dealing with each specific point of the announced policy. First up is subway line 15:

15号线路线进行微调

Route of Line 15 being fine-tuned

北京市交通委副主任周正宇昨日介绍，除今年将要开工的建设7号和14号线这2条地铁线路，规划中的地铁15号线进行了微调，调整后的15号线将从顺义直达望京，然后经过大屯路、亚运村、奥运村、中关村、中央党校等地区。沿途经过奥林匹克中心区。

Vice-Chairman of the Beijing Municipal Transport Committee Zhou Zhengyu said yesterday that apart from the subway lines 7 and 14 which are to begin construction this year, the subway line 15 in the planning stages is being fine-tuned, and once it is set it will run from Shunyi to Wangjing, then through such areas as Datun Lu, Yayun Cun [Asian Games Village], Aoyun Cun [Olympic Games Village], Zhongguancun, and the Central Party School. ALong the way it will pass through the Olympic Centre.

周正宇表示，如果说10号线在北部地区走的是三环半，15号线在北部地区走的就是四环半。15号线将从地下穿过清华大学，并在奥林匹克中心区与奥运支线实现换乘，并下穿中关村地下环廊。目前，这条线正在加速准备中。

Zhou Zhengyu said, if Line 10 in its northern section takes the Third-and-a-half Ring, Line 15 will take the North Fourth-and-a-half Ring. Line 15 will pass underground through Tsinghua University, and will have an interchange with the Olympic Branch Line [Line 8] in the Olympic Centre, and make an underground loop around Zhongguancun. Currently, preparations for this line are being sped up.

Note: The northern section of Line 10 runs parallel with the North Third and Fourth Ring Roads roughly halfway in between them, hence “Third-and-a-half Ring”. Also, I think Mr Zhou needs a map in front of him before he starts giving directions. I would’ve thought Olympic Centre-Zhongguancun-Tsinghua would be a more logical order. They way he talks my mind has this new line doing a crazy zigzag across the north of the city. Anyway, a subway station every kilometre within the Fourth Ring (something Line 15 won’t be contributing much too):

四环内走一公里到地铁

Walk one kilometre you’ll reach a subway within the Fourth Ring

根据规划，北京将在中心区加密轨道交通线网，2015年，北京将实现“三环、四横、五纵、七放射”总长561公里的轨道交通网络，覆盖半径30公里，直到六环。今后北京市民出行，四环以内平均步行一公里，即可到达地铁站。

According to the plan, Beijing will expand the rail transport network in the central city. In 2015, Beijing will realise the “Three rings, four horizontals, five north-souths, seven radiates” for a rail transport network with a total length of 561 kilometres, covering a radius of 30 kilometres, reaching the Sixth Ring. In the future, when Beijing citizens go out, within the Fourth Ring they’ll be able to walk an average of one kilometre and reach a subway station.

Yeah, alright, I lied, it’s not a subway station every kilometre, only on average every kilometre. There’s a difference.

周正宇表示，中关村、金融街、西站、北京南站、奥林匹克公园和CBD等，都将有多条地铁轨道相连。昌平等7个区县和周边新城将均有轨道交通通行。

Zhou Zhengyu said Zhongguancun, Jinrong Jie [Finance Street], West Station, Beijing South Station, the Olympic Green, the CBD will all have several subway lines linking them. Changping and 7 other counties and districts and surrounding new towns will all have railways linking them.

广渠路将通快速公交线

Guangqu Lu to build an express bus line

在路权分配上，周正宇说，北京交通今后将进一步向公交、非机动车倾斜，到2010年，公交专用道将由目前的285公里延长到450公 里，7000人以上的居住小区都通达公交线路。目前，公交车进出站时和非机动车交叉过多的问题非常突出，这是最近一段时间内交通部门重点研究的课题。

On the distribution of road rights, Zhou Zhengyu said, that in the near future Beijing will incline one step further towards public transport and non-motorised vehicles. By 2010, special bus lanes will be extended from the current 285 kilometres to 450 kilometres, and over 7000 people’s residential areas will be reached by bus routes. Currently, there are many prominent problems when buses, on entering and exiting bus stops, cross with non-motorised traffic. This has been a key subject of research for the transport authorities in recent times.

周正宇表示，对于机动车、自行车和行人的路权分配，北京已启动专项研究。

Zhou Zhengyu said Beijing has already begun dedicated research on the allocation of road rights to motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

周正宇还称，阜石路大容量快速公交的建设正随道路建设而进行，另外，广渠路大容量快速公交的建设规划也在进行中。

Zhou Zhengyu also said, the construction of the high-capacity express bus route on Fushi Lu would progress in conjunction with the construction of the roadway. Also, the construction of the high-capacity express bus route along Guangqu Lu was in the planning stages.

Ouch. My impression is the Fushi Lu express bus route would be built at the same time as and along with the construction of the roadway itself. I’m still struggling to find a way to say that clearly.

准快速公交正在试验中

Standard express bus being experimented

除了大容量公交这种交通形式，周正宇表示，目前已在5路等公交线路上实行的“准快速公交系统”正在建设中。这种交通模式将采取一站直达、或大站快车式交通方式，实现快速“点对点”直达式运输。

Apart from the high-capacity express bus transport model, Zhou Zhengyu said that currently a “Standard Express Bus System” is being built along the Route 5 and other bus routes.

苹果园望京将建综合枢纽

Comprehensive hubs to be built at Pingguo Yuan and Wangjing

北京一级换乘节点为日换乘量8万人次以上的综合枢纽，目前已建成动物园、六里桥、西站北广场、东直门等。一亩园、西站南广场等正在建设中。还将规划建设北太平庄、苹果园、望京等综合枢纽，可实现公交、地铁、长途、出租、自行车等多种交通方式的无缝衔接和“零换乘”。

At present, comprehensive hubs, Beijing’s Level 1 interchanges with an interchange rate of over 80 thousand person-times per day, have been built at the Zoo, Liuli Qiao, West Station North Plaza, and Dongzhimen. They are under construction at Yimuyuan and West Station South Plaza. Comprehensive hubs are also planned to be built at Beitaiping Zhuang, Pingguoyuan, and Wangjing, where they can realise smooth linkage and “zero change” between many forms of transport such as bus, subway, long distance, taxi and bicycle.

No, I don’t really get the technical stuff in this paragraph. I assume “long distance” refers to inter-city/province trains and buses.

驻车换乘点将增24处

24 park-and-ride stations to be added

目前，在天通苑北、八通线北苑已建设完毕“驻车换乘”点，开始实行低价停车，私家车主凭当日乘坐地铁的记录，停一次车收费1元。今后在轨道交通线路和大容量快速公交沿线还将规划24处停车换乘场站，实行低价位或免费停车换乘的政策，引导小汽车换乘公共交通。

At present, the construction of “park-and-ride” stations has been completed at Tiantongyuan North and the Batong Line’s Beiyuan and the implentation of low-cost parking has begun. The fee for parking once is 1 yuan based on the driver’s record of using the subway the same day. 24 more park-and-ride stations along rail- and high-capacity express bus lines have been planned for the near future and a low-cost or free park-and-ride policy will be implemented, leading people to change from cars to public transport.

Well, it sounds like the city government has finally abandoned it’s “copy Texas and buy lots of huge cars” policy for an advanced, comprehensive transport system aimed at sidelining cars in favour of public transport and non-polluting, non-motorised vehicles (Go the bicycles! Transport of the future!). Excellent news, indeed.