Sleek Train Station Doors at Line 10
Before coming to Beijing I already did my research so I pretty much knew that to expect here. One thing in particular that a friend of mine warned me is that the subway isn’t anything like what we have in Singapore. In particular, the interchanges are quite far apart. The Beijing subway became my main mode of transportation here in the city and its outskirts. I was thankful for this since I don’t need to pay for cabs or spend time figuring out the bus system. Interestingly, the travelling the entire subway system costs a flat rate of CNY 2.
The Beijing Subway also happens to be oldest system in the country and it shows. Line 1 has some really old looking subway stations while the others look very sleek and modern. Even the trains themselves show their age disparity I wonder why they didn’t bother replacing them. Maybe they were just being practical. As with any other major city in the world, the subway is packed during rush hours and it may take a while to get in the train. Fortunately, the seemed to have learned how to queue here while waiting for the train at least, only a few people would just enter the train by the middle path, which is usually reserved for people going out.
Beijing Subway Station
The trains themselves are equipped with heating, which can be a godsend for sometimes frozen Beijing. Announcements are made in Chinese and English, the trains themselves also have signs to indicate where the trains are. They even have television screens on the train to keep commuters occupied. Although the interchanges are indeed not as convenient as the ones in Hong Kong and Singapore, I could still live with it. It was interesting how they managed to fence everybody in the station. Entering the station would need to go through some security checks, how effective it really is, is anyone’s guess.
You can purchase reloadable fare cards called Yikatong 一卡通 from the control station. One the other hand you can also purchase single journey card from vending machines of from one of the staff roaming the station. For these, you need to tap to enter the station, then insert the card at the turnstile when you exit. I had a hard time figuring out how it works, but apparently, the staff are used to the stupidity of some passengers and know to signal to the passenger to insert the card.
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