Beijing to Expand Metro Lines to 900km by 2020

By Justine Lopez

Beijing’s subways are about to get a whole lot better – and a whole lot bigger. According to transport authorities, the city will expand its network from 574 km (with 19 lines) to 900 km (with 30 lines) by 2020, People’s Daily reports. Once completed, the subway will be able to handle a flow of 15 million passengers a day.

Currently, 11.5 million passengers use the subway each day.

The city also announced that three new lines will be launched by the end of the year, meaning the city will soon be home to 610 km of metro lines.

READ MORE: 350km of Subway Lines Under Construction in Beijing in 2017

The goal is for all of Beijing’s neighborhoods to be connected to the metro. Future lines will also link the capital with parts of Hebei Province, and a new high-speed rail line will connect Beijing with its massive new airport by 2019.

An unmanned train is currently being tested in Fangshan District. The 14.4 km line will start running next month. Plans are in the works to extend the unmanned trains to other areas around the capital, as well as 10 other Chinese cities. These trains are capable of running at maximum speeds of 100 km/h, but are being tested out at 80 km/h.

[Images via People’s Daily]

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