Transport hub to feed Beijing subcenter

Beijing will build a comprehensive transportation hub in its city subcenter in Tongzhou district, a senior official said on Tuesday.

The project will be the capital's first large-scale transportation infrastructure project since the Beijing Daxing International Airport, Zeng Zanrong, Party chief of the district, said at a news conference in Tongzhou.

It was the first news conference by the subcenter after Beijing's municipal government moved to the district last year.

According to the authority, the transportation hub, which is designed to connect three subway lines and two railways, began construction on Nov 30.

Wang Chengjun, head of the subcenter's project construction office, said the hub, which covers 61 hectares, will be put into operation by the end of 2024.

It has an underground section consisting of three stories and is expected to be the largest underground transportation hub in Asia. Investment for the underground part reached 34.5 billion yuan ($4.97 billion).

"It will take only one hour by public transportation from the city subcenter to Xiongan New Area and only 35 minutes to Daxing airport," he said. "The hub will be green and smart, and it will drive regional economic growth and bring convenience to people."

According to the authority of the subcenter, up to 115 city-level projects with an overall investment of 166 billion yuan were planned in 2019. The projects will focus on culture, sports, education, medical care, environmental protection and more.

Also among the projects under development is a 11.2-square kilometer city park that will be completed and open to the public by October. The park will be in the shape of a five-pointed star with an 8-meter wide cycling lane and a 3-meter wide footpath.

Lin Lei, a white-collar worker in Tongzhou, said the park is the project that he looks forward to most.

"From the description, I have a cool and green and relaxed feeling about the park and can't wait to ride in the lane," he said.

There are also plans to build a theater, a library and a museum with a total investment of 4.4 billion yuan by the end of 2022.