Kang Weihong: Beijing subway should have three-dimensional planning

Kang Weihong, a political advisor of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) Beijing Committee, said the present subway space design is planar and thus passengers have to walk a long distance for transfer. She proposed a possible solution to the problem that multi-layer subway stations like the four-storey Lyon station in Paris be built. In terms of transport network, bus, subway and high-speed train routes should not be separated but be connected to facilitate transfer. The existing problem is that bus and subway have their respective systems and it’s difficult to realize seamless transfer between the two.

In some countries, subway and bus only require one ticket within a certain period, but that’s not the case in Beijing, which affects the integration of public transport in the city.

The signs of subway stations in Beijing are not conspicuous enough. “I often encounter people who ask where the subway stations are. Actually the subway stations are not far away, and then they would ask which station is nearer for they cannot get such information from subway signs. Beijing subway has 278 stations, while Paris subway, which has less lines than Beijing subway, has 378 stations. That means the distances between two subway stations in Beijing are longer, which brings difficulties for people looking for subway signs,”Kang added.

Kang suggested that the present subway lines should be optimized before new lines are added to the network.