Subway construction started in China's capital in 1965. The first stretch, which opened between the city's railway station and Pingguoyuan, included today's western branch of Line 1 and the southern part of Line 2.
The entire Line 1 from Pingguoyuan to Sihuidong is now 38 km long and provides transfer to Ring Line 2 twice, at Fuxingmen and at Jianguomen. Ring Line 2 is 16 km, so the total network operating in 2000 is 54 km. Construction of "CityRail" (Line 13 in the overall "rapid transit" planning) started in December 1999. The semicircular line with 16 stations runs from Xizhimen to Dongzhimen (both are stations on the circle Line 2). Subway Line 5, the first north-south metro line in Beijing, is 27.6-km, with 16.9 km and 16 stations underground and 10.7 km and 7 stations above ground. Platforms are equipped with half-high platform screen doors. Construction started in Dec. 2002, and the entire line was brought into service in October 2007. Beijing Railway Station mainly handles traffic from the north-east, inner mongolia and eastern coastal China.


Most visitors, Chinese or foreigners will find the subway train clean, fast and relatively comfortable, except during weekends or rush hours, when the subway train is very crowded. The subway runs every 4 or 5 minutes daily from 5:00 to 22 or 23:00, according to different first stations and the fare is 3RMB per ride for any distance. There are two subway lines in Beijing: one runs under Chang'an Avenue and its line extends from Sihuidongzan in the east to Pingguoyuan in the west; another one circles under the northern part of the Second Ring Road. You can transfer between these lines at Fuxingmen station and Jianguomen station with no transfer fee.
Subway entrances are show on city maps. Each station usually has four entrances. The entrances can be identified by a large blue sign with letters BD inside a circle. If you still can not find it, you may ask a Chinese "di tie”. Walk down stairs to enter a station the tickets are sold above the platform. When going down to the platform, hand your ticket to the checker at the top of the stairs. On tunnel walls of the platform, you can see signs and maps in Chinese and Pinyin indicating the next station and helping you to decide which subway train to take. Over the door inside the train you also can find complete system maps in Chinese and Pinyin, and an announcement tells you the name of the next station both in Chinese and English. If you find you are on the wrong train, you can just get off at the next station, (It usually takes about 4 or 5 minutes to travel between stations.), and get on the train running to the opposite direction. No transfer fee will be charged.

2. Capital Airport
There is only one international airport in Beijing. The name is "Beijing Capital Airport". Both international and domestic sections are in the same building. The Beijing Capital International Airport, the gateway airport of the PRC, is located in the northeast city of Beijing, capital of the country, about 25 km to downtown city. As the only airport which owns two runways in China under 4E operation category, the Beijing Airport, fully equipped with passenger and cargo handling facilities, is in the position to accommodate the landings and take-offs of the aircraft Boeing 747-400 and other smaller types. 66 domestic and foreign airline companies are participating in the operational business, including 11 domestic companies and 55 foreign companies. More than 5,000 scheduled flights are available to more than 90 cities in China and over 75 cities abroad.It takes you 30 minutes from city center to the airport. When you leave, the airport tax is 50 yuan per person for domestic and 90 yuan per person for international.
To book an air ticket, the service should be free of charge because few domestic flights are full, so it's easy to buy airline tickets even on the departing day. Take time to check the price. 30-60% discount ticket is possible. The price for a round trip ticket is twice that of a one-way ticket. There is a 90% discount for children under two years old, sharing a seat with an adult. There is a 50% discount for children aged 2-12. There is no discount with an international student card. If you cancel the trip more than 24 hours prior to departure, there is a service charge of 5% of the normal price of your ticket. From 2-24 hours prior to the departure, there is a 10% service charge for cancellation. Within two hours of departure, there is a 20% service charge. If you miss your flight, it's possible to take another flight before 12:00 am the following day, but you have to pay a 5% service charge. If you want a refund instead of the flight, you can get a 50% refund of the original price of your ticket. If your luggage is overweight, you pay 1.5% of the economy class ticket price per kg.

3. About Terminal 3
(1)  Moving Plan
a. 0:00, 29 February 2008- The 1st stage moving,Carriers which are scheduled to move within the first stage are: Shandong Airlines (SC), Sichuan Airlines (3U), Qantas Airways (QF), Qatar Airways (QR), British Airways (BA) and El Al Israel Airlines (LY).
b. 0:00, 26 March 2008 - The 2nd stage moving,Carriers which are scheduled to move within the 2nd stage are: Air China (CA), Shanghai Airlines (FM), Scandinavian Airlines (SK), Austrian Airlines (OS), Deutsche Lufthansa (LH), Asiana Airlines (OZ), Air Canada (AC), United Airlines (UA), All Nippon Airways (NH), Thai Airways (TG), Singapore Airlines(SQ), Finnair (AY), Cathay Pacific Airways (CX), Japan Airlines (JL), Dragonair (KA), Turkish Airlines (TK), Emirates (EK), Air Macau (NX),S7 Airlines (S7) and Egypt Air (MS).
(2)  Flight Schedule
The above schedule is based on the schedule published by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China. Before 0:00 on the moving date (29 Feb and 26 Mar), if any flight delays their take off or landing, the operation will remain in T2 or based on the announcement of the individual airline.
(3)  Ground Transportation
a. Passengers may take Airport Shuttle Bus from Xidan, Beijing Railway Station, Gongzhufen, Fangzhuang, Zhongguancun and Wangjing to T3. Personal vehicles or taxis could take Airport Southern Line exit from Airport Expressway to arrive at T3.
b. A special road and Airport Shuttle Bus will be available for the convenience of transfer passengers among T1, T2 and T3. 
c. 2nd Airport Expressway, Airport Southern Line and metro connections are still under construction; the opening time will be announced by Beijing Municipal Traffic Commission in due time.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact BCIA information center: 64541100.