Olympic Beijing to place handicapped accessible subway cars, buses in service
5/9/2007 17:23
Beijing will put more handicapped accessible buses into service and
replace all subway cars running on its two downtown routes with new ones in an
effort to improve public transport facilities for next year's Beijing
Olympics.
Beijing Metro, the operator of the city's 200-km urban rail
network, plans to put 120 new subway cars on Line 1, the trunk route linking the
east and west and passing the Tian'anmen Square in central Beijing, before June
2008, a company spokesman said today.
Another 144 new cars will be running on
Line 2, the loop line around Beijing's city proper, he said.
The first of the
new cars has arrived in Beijing and will start a 5,000-km test run today to
check safety.
The new subway car, 114 meters long and 2.8 meters wide, can
accommodate a maximum of 1,820 people and has LED screens to display weather
information and results of the Olympic events, according to the spokesman.
He
said the new cars are air-conditioned and have better ventilation systems. Each
one has four wheelchair lifts and wheelchair-designated space.
To facilitate
travels for the handicapped people, Beijing will put an additional 2,500
handicapped accessible buses into service before the end of this year, the
Beijing Public Transportation Group said.
"By then, Beijing will be having
nearly 4,000 handicapped friendly buses, about a quarter of its bus fleet," said
Feng Xingfu, vice managing director of the group.
The group will also put 50
lithium battery-powered buses in service in the Olympic Village, the Olympic
Media Village and the Olympic Central District before March, 2008, said
Feng.
Beijing government has earmarked four billion yuan (US$513 million) to
boost public transport and ease congestion since last year, as urban transport
has reached a crisis point and 90 percent of roads are operating at full
capacity in the city with 3 million motor vehicles and 4.13 million
drivers.
By 2010, the government hopes 40 percent of Beijingers would choose
public transport as their primary means of transportation, up from 28 percent
reported in 2005.
The city is also working to expand its urban rail network,
which will extend 270 kilometers and carry 25 to 30 percent of commuters by
2010.
Xinhua
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