Public hearing to be held on Beijing Airport metro fare

Source: Xinhua | 06-27-2008 10:00

It was announced on Thursday that a public hearing is to be held next Wednesday morning to decide the cost of the city's new metro linking the airport with Beijing.

An employee sits inside the entryway of an express line  to the Beijing Capital International Airport at Dongzhimen  metro terminal in downtown Beijing June 26, 2008. The new  line will officially start running on July 1. [Photo: Asianewsphoto]

Two options are up for debate, prices of a one-way ticket on the 28.1-kilometer railway from traffic hub Dongzhimen to Beijing Capital International Airport could be 25 yuan (3.7 U.S. dollars) or 30 yuan (4.4 U.S. dollars). But there is a possibility that other options could be discussed.

The hearing will have 25 participants, including ten experts from a database of government and high schools experts, 11 consumer representatives and four from the metro company.

With opinions from the hearing as reference, the final price will be announced several days after the hearing. The line officially opens to the public at the beginning of July, but officials have not given an exact date yet.

"Passengers have to pay 67 yuan by taxi from Dongzhimen to the airport, and a one-way ticket on a shuttle bus costs 16 yuan," said Gao Peng, chief executive officer (CEO) of the Beijing Dongzhimen Airport Express Rail, adding that cost of self-driving is about 42 yuan.

The new metro line, with four stops, takes 16 minutes from Dongzhimen to the airport, about half the time of the shuttle bus journey.