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How to take subway in Beijing

Saturday, March 11th, 2023

Are you thinking of planning a Beijing subway tour, and visiting Beijing by using the rapid transit rail network? The subway is the fastest, cheapest way around Beijing in comparison with Beijing taxis and easier to manage than the daunting Beijing public buses.

Below are some practical tips on how to take the subway in Beijing:

1. Subway fare in Beijing

Ticket fare:
within 6 km: 3 yuan
6 -12 km: 4 yuan
12 -22 km: 5 yuan
22 – 32 km: 6 yuan
32 km up : extra 1 yuan for extra 20km

Beijing airport express trains: RMB25.
Children below 1.3 metres in height enjoy free rides accompanied by a paying adult.

Note: If you stay in Beijing for quite a few days, or want to have more transport convenience when you traveling Beijing, you are highly recommended to buy a Beijing bus IC card, a kind of transportation smart card. Basically you are eligible for 10% discounts using “Yikatong” to pay for subway and buses.

A bus IC Card can be also used to pay for Beijing taxi, Beijing subway and S trains to Badaling Great Wall. The official name of the IC card is called “Yikatong”, which means “one card pass” in Chinese, similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus card, Singapore’s EZ-Link, or the Oyster Card used by TfL in London in United Kingdom.

More information on “Yikatong” card:
1. Par value RMB100.00 ( including RMB20.00 deposit )
2. When you leave Beijing or don’t want to use the card anymore, you can return it to places which are appointed by Beijing Municipal Administration and Communications Card Co. Ltd. Then they will refund you RMB20.00 if your card is not damaged.
3. You could refill the bus IC card from over 700 places including the ticket counters at Beijing subway stations, railway stations, most post offices, big supermarkets and so on.
4. Yikatong Service phone number: 88087733 www.bjsuperpass.com （mainly in Chinese).

2. Find a latest Beijing Subway map

Try to find a latest Beijing subway map, physical or online. Beijing subway is on a constant change. Very often either online subway maps or ordinary maps are hard to catch up with the latest version of Beijing subway.

3. Basic information on the subway lines in Beijing

Try to locate your hotel, attractions and your business places in Beijing with the help of Beijing subway lines.

Subway Lines serving Beijing urban area

Subway Line 1:
a straight east-west line under Chang’an Avenue passing Tiananmen Square, dividing the city into two parts – north and south. Line 1 links major commercial centres – Beijing CBD, Dongdan, Wangfujing, Xidan and Financial Street.

Subway Line 5:
one of straight north-south lines, but mainly running just east of the city centre. It has some important stops such as the Temple of Earth, Lama Temple, Dongdan and the Temple of Heaven.

Subway Line 6:
Running between Haidian Wuluju (Haidian) and Caofang (Chaoyang)Line 8: Phase I (Olympic Branch Line) branches off Baitucheng Stop of Line 10 with three stops in the Olympic Green.

Subway Line 9:
Running between National Library (Haidian) and Guogongzhuang (Fengtai)

Subway Line 10:
an inverted L-shaped line running east-west. Starting from the west, it runs along the Yuan dynasty city wall in the north, passing by the south of the Olympic Green and runs south at Sanyuanqiao, following the eastern 3rd Ring Road passing through the embassy district and Beijing CBD.

Subway Lines serving Beijing suburbs

Subway Line 13:
an arcs line running the suburbs north of the city and takes commuters to Xizhimen and Dongzhimen where interchange for Line 2.

Subway Line 14:
Running between Zhangguozhuang (Fengtai) and Xiju (Fengtai)

Subway Line 15:
extended from the Line 13 at Wangjing West, then running northeast to suburban Shunyi District.

Batong Line:
extended from Line 1, running eastward from Sihui to suburban Tongzhou District.

Changping Line:
extended from Line 13 at Xi’erqi, running north to suburban Changping District.

Daxing Line:
branches off Line 4 south to suburban Daxing District.

Fangshan Line:
is at the moment unconnected with the main lines in Beijing, standing alone line in southwest Beijing that linking Dabaotai in Fengtai District with suburban Fangshan District.

Yizhuang Line:
extended from Line 5’s southern terminus to the Yizhuang Economic & Technological Development Zone in the southeastern suburbs.

Airport Express:
linking the Beijing Capital International Airport ( 25 km northeast of the city), with Line 10 at Sanyuanqiao and Lines 2 and 13 at Dongzhimen.

Beijing Subway Map

4. Beijing Subway Operation Hours

The first trains depart terminals at around 5:00 am and the last leave at around 11:00 pm. The Airport Express train starts at around 6:00am and ends at 10:30 pm.

5. Get to the Subway Station

Make sure you are heading to the closest station. The subway signs are easily to be recognized.

Beijing Subway Sign

Subway Station Exterior

6. Buy a subway ticket

You may buy a single-ride ticket or use a Beijing Transportation (Yikatong) Card, similar to the oyster cards in UK.

If you stay in Beijing for a longer period, it is advisable to buy Yikatong card.1) You may buy a single ride ticket through automated machines which take coins and small bills. or you may buy it at the ticketing windows.

(2)If you stay in Beijing for quite a few days, or want to save money when you traveling Beijing by subway or bus, you are highly recommended to buy a Beijing bus IC card, a kind of transportation smart card. A bus IC Card can be also used to pay for taxi or subway.

The correct name of the IC card is called “Yikatong”, which means “one card pass” in Chinese, similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus card, Singapore’s EZ-Link, or the Oyster Card used by TfL in London in United Kingdom.

7. Get to the platform and choose the right track

Swipe the card across the sensor, or insert the ticket in the turnstile to enter through the fare gate.

Basically, there are two tracks for trains running for opposite directions, so you should follow the sign and choose the correct side of the tracks.

8. Inside the Trains and transfer

Once taking the subway, the display screen inside the each car of the train will show arrival times, destination information, and show short television programs.

If you want to transfer, just look for a sign that says “Transfer” and follow the directional arrow on the sign.

9. Leave the subway station

After you leave the train, you are required to insert the single-ride electronic ticket in the turnstile, or swipe the transportation card over the sensor.Next, look for the signs which show how to exit the station.

Usually, there are four exits for each station; each exit leads to a different direction. Find the direction of your destination and choose the right exit to get out of the station.

10. Try to avoid taking subway in rush hours

You’d better avoid taking subway during rush hours. Beijing Rush Hours: 07:00am – 09:00am), and 6:00pm – 08:00pm.

Beijing is a very overcrowded city. Beijing subway is getting extremely crowded at rush hours.

11. Important Places accessed by subway

1) Beijing South Railway station: Subway Line 4
2) Beijing West Railway Station: Subway Line 9
3) Beijing North railway Station: Subway line 2, 4 and 10
4) Beijing Railway Station: Subway line 2
5) Beijing Capital Airport: Express Train + Subway Line 2
6) Summer Palace: Subway line 4 and 10
7) Badaling Great Wall: S Trains ( from Huangtudian Railway Station ) Line 8 or 13
8) Temple of Heaven: Subway Line 5
9) Tiananmen ( Forbidden City): Subway Line 1
10) Lama Temple: Subway Line 5
11) Olympic Park: subway 8

Add on

Beijing Public Buses
Beijing taxi
Badaling Great Wall by train

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Beijing:

Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Great Wall Tour
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

Chinese version of the travel guide:

在北京如何乘坐地铁

Tags: Take subway in Beijing, Tips for taking subway in Beijing
Posted in Beijing Tour Reviews, Beijing Transport | 63 Comments »

Trolleybuses in Beijing

Thursday, April 7th, 2022

When you are on your first Beijin g tour, you will be surprised by the numerous trolley buses running on the streets in the city center of Beijing. There are totally 21,000 Beijing public buses. Beijing trolley buses are getting increasingly popular because it is powered by electricity. The smog-choked Beijing government has announced its ambitious plan to phase out old oil burning buses and introduce more buses driven by electricity, or natural gases and low-emission diesel.

The world’s first passenger-carrying trolleybus appeared at Bielatal in Germanyon 10 July 1901 . About 56 years later, that was on February 26, 1957, Beijing’s first trolleybus began commercial operation from Beichizi and Fuchengmen. By 1966, trolley buses had replaced all the trams in Beijing.

Beijing plans to purchase the latest models of trolleybuses that will be driven either through overhead cables or onboard lithium ion batteries. The trolley bus will be able to be operated for 8 to 10 hours offline, becoming an important par of Beijing City transportation.

The rolleybus is driving by Dianmen Dajie — The trolley bus is driving by Dianmen Dajie

Among 900 public bus lines, now there are totally 16 trolley bus lines with 590 trolley buses and a total length of 214 km. In next 4 years the city plans to build 20 more trolley bus lines and add 500 each year.

The present 16 trolley bus lines in Beijing include 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 111, 112, 114, 115, 118, 124 and 127. Taking a trolleybus is an interesting experience while traveling Beijing. Buying a swipe card and jump on a trolley bus is a fun.

The trolley bus is passing by the north gate to Forbidden City

Major trolley bus lines in Beijing:

Trolley Bus No. 101
Run between Baiwangzhuang West(百万庄西口) and Hongmiao East (红庙路口东)
First Bus 5:30 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Fuchengmen, Beihai Park, Forbidden City (north)

Trolley Bus No. 102
Run between Beijing South Railway Station (北京南站) and Beijing Zoo (北京动物园)
First Bus 4:50 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Beijing South Railway Station, Xidan and Fuchengmen

Trolley Bus No. 103
Run between Beijing Zoo (北京动物园) and Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站)
First Bus 4:50 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Beijing Zoo, Fuchengmen, Forbidden City, Wangfujing and Beijing West Railway Station

Trolley Bus No. 104
Run between Beijing West Railway Station (北京西站) and Beijing Wuluju（五路居）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Beijing West Railway Station, Wangfujing and Ditan

Trolley Bus No. 105
Run between Baishijiao East (白石桥东) and Tianqiao（天桥）
First Bus 4:45 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Beijing Zoo, Xizhimen, Xinjiekou, Xidan and Tianqiao

Trolley Bus No. 106
Run between Dongzhimen (东直门) and Beijing South Railway Station North（北京南站北广场）
First Bus 4:45 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Dongzhimen, Dongsi, Dongdan, Chongwenmen, Tiantan, Tianqiao and Beijing South Railway Station

Trolley Bus No. 107
Run between Dongzhimen (东直门) and Baishiqiao East（白石桥东）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Dongzhimen, Gulou, Beihai, Beijing Zoo and Baishiqiao

Trolley Bus No. 108
Run between Datun East (大屯东) and Outer Chongwenmen（崇文门外）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Aoti East gate, Anzhenli, Ditan, Jiaodaokou, Dengshikou, Dongdan and Chongwenmen

Trolley Bus No. 109
Run between Dadajiao East (大屯东) and Beijing West Railway Station South Plaza（北京西站南广场）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Dongsi, Beihai Park, Forbidden city, Xidan

Trolley Bus No. 111
Run between Outer Chongwenmen (崇文门外) and Baishiqiao Easst（白石桥东）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Chongwenmen, Dongdan, Jingshan, Beihai, Xizhimen and Beijing Zoo

Trolley Bus No. 112
Run between Kangjiagou (康家沟) and Liangguochang（亮果厂）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Hongmiao Road, Dongdaqiao, Chaoyangmen Wai, Dongsi

Trolley Bus No. 114
Run between Nanwu (南坞) and Baiyun Road（白云路）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Zizhuyuan South, baishiqiao South, Ganjiakou, Diayutai, Muxudi

Trolley Bus No. 115
Run between Donghuangchenggen North (东皇城根北口）and Kangjiagou（康家沟）
First Bus 5:00 and last bus 23:00 Bus fare RMB 1
Important Bus Stop: Donghuangchenggen North, Dongsishitiao, Sanlitun, Tuanjiehu Park

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for Beijing guided tours:

Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Great Wall Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Tours
China City Tours
China Tour

Archive for the ‘Beijing Transport’ Category

How to take subway in Beijing

1. Subway fare in Beijing

2. Find a latest Beijing Subway map

3. Basic information on the subway lines in Beijing

4. Beijing Subway Operation Hours

5. Get to the Subway Station

6. Buy a subway ticket

7. Get to the platform and choose the right track

8. Inside the Trains and transfer

9. Leave the subway station

10. Try to avoid taking subway in rush hours

11. Important Places accessed by subway

Add on

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

Further Readings

Chinese version of the travel guide:

Trolleybuses in Beijing

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

Further Readings

Beijing Car washing: Beijing Car Washing Prices and Tips

Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours

Further Readings

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