Beijing plans to extend its subway network from the current 110 kilometres to more than 1,000 kilometres by the year 2050 to ease serious traffic congestion in the city.  
 
It's hoped that by then, subways will take between 50 and 60 percent of the passenger traffic in Beijing with a subway station no further than five minutes walk from anywhere in central Beijing.

The municipality has started constructing a new subway loop and will start two more subway lines towards the end of the year.

By 2008, when Beijing hosts the Olympic Games, subway traffic will double to 20 percent of passenger traffic in Beijing, as against just under 10 percent now.

(CRI.com August 18, 2004)