New subway routes open to public

The design and decoration of Nanluoguxiang Station were meant to be reminiscent of old Beijing, Li said. He said the rapid development of Beijing's subway system is impressive and he hopes the government can accelerate the extension of Line 6 to Tongzhou district.

He said many expect Line 6 to help relieve the traffic burden on Line 1, the city's oldest subway route.

Jia Miao, an employee at Chedaogou Station and a former social worker who had helped disabled people, said Line 10 employees have received training in providing services to the disabled.

Disabled passengers can use elevators to enter the station and will be accompanied by subway employees at every station until they reach their destinations, Jia said.

However, tests on the elevators along Line 10 are still to be completed, according to the subway operator.

Also being introduced on the new lines are connections between the subway and other means of transport.

Places where bicycles can be parked, for instance, were set up at every station along the extension of Line 10.

Also on Sunday, 17 new bus lines began operating and six lines were adjusted to connect with the new subway lines, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

Jia Yuanyuan, 33, who lives in the Shijicheng community in western Beijing, said she welcomed the new bus lines. She said the connections will make it convenient to transfer to the subway.

Beijing plans to put at least one new subway line into operation each year from 2013 to 2015, according to Beijing Subway Company.

By 2015, the number of subway lines in Beijing will reach 19, and they will have a combined length of 561 kilometers. By 2020, the subway is expected to increase to 1,000 km in length.

People used Beijing's public transportation system to make an average of 20.6 million trips a day in 2012. About 44 percent of Beijing residents say they use public transport, the highest percentage among all cities in the country.

Contact the writer at jinhaixing@chinadaily.com.cn