Beijing's rail transit network continues expansion

BEIJING -- Beijing's rail transit lines, including urban metro and suburban rail lines, have reached 1,148 km by 2021, the city's mayor Chen Jining said Thursday.

"Beijing's subway operation is on par with the advanced international standards in terms of quality and efficiency," Chen said while delivering the government work report at the ongoing fifth session of the 15th Beijing Municipal People's Congress, the local legislature.

Last year, a total of nine new subway lines and extensions of current ones were put into operation in the Chinese capital, bringing the total urban rail transit mileage to 783 km, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.

In East China's metropolis of Shanghai, the total length of metro network has reached 831 km, the longest in the world.

Beijing's urban rail transit system transported 3.07 billion passengers in 2021, up 34 percent year on year.

The municipal lawmakers of Beijing convened their annual meeting on Thursday. Both the city's political consultative and legislative meetings kicked off this week to discuss local economic and social development over the past year and make plans for this year.