good news, frustrating article

This article in 新京报/The Beijing News informs us that as part of Beijing’s efforts to expand and improve the city’s public transport network and to match the new traffic restrictions, the terminals of five subway lines are to get new bus routes, but I’ve searched through the article and can’t find which terminals and what new bus routes they’re getting.

See, the subway lines currently operating are:

1. 1
2. 2
3. 5
4. 8
5. 10
6. 13
7. Batong

And there’s the Airport Line, but I think it’s fair to assume that’s not one of those getting new bus routes. And the S2 line to Yanqing is not part of the subway network, so that’s out, too. That leaves us those seven listed above. Which two aren’t getting new bus routes?

Oh, and the headline says clearly that five lines will be getting new bus routes, and later on it says the new bus routes will be added to 10 stations….

Will the Batong Line be getting new bus routes added to its Tuqiao terminus? Hard to imagine. And Line 8 in its current Olympic Branch Line form is so short and useless. But Xizhimen and Dongzhimen (Line 13)  and Sihui/Sihui Dong at the eastern end of Line 1 already seem overcrowded, and how do you decide where the appropriate terminals are on Line 2, which is a loop? Still, new bus routes at Line 10’s southern terminal at Jinsong should be good, especially if they come past my place- the 801 is good, but can only be trusted to show up half an hour late. I don’t know what the bus situations at Line 10’s northwestern end, Line 1’s western end at Pingguoyuan, or either end of Line 5 are like.

So, please, TBN, spare me the explanation of the legal basis for the new traffic restrictions and give me details of these new bus routes.

Also in this article:

• The new traffic restrictions, which ban cars from the roads for one day each week, start today. I’m not sure anybody’s going to notice, though, from what I remember the restrictions only apply Monday to Friday.
• The last buses on those new routes added to the subway terminals  will match up with subway closing times.
• 900-series buses (which run from the city to the suburban districts and counties) will also have their last buses depart later.
• Line 13 is going to get a whole lot of new trains.
• And a related article tacked on at the end says that for the time being there will be no government subsicy for people buying “new energy source” cars. It seems the government is favourably disposed towards electric, hybrid, natural gas, and other “new energy source” cars, but because the infrastructure for running such vehicles in Beijing is not here yet, there’ll be no subsidies for the time being.

So good news, but I’d like more details, please. I just searched through their “Beijing news” section and so far nothing.

And yes, I have developed a minor obssession with Beijing’s efforts to improve and expand its public transport network.

And I really should be in the office marking this huge stack of essays I want to hand back to the students on Monday.