Subway fare increase considered

Authorities are mulling over whether to raise the Beijing subway fare from the current 2 yuan, which has long been the country's lowest. Fares may be adjusted in rush hours to ease passenger congestion, according to a working draft released by the city's government on Friday. Beijing's 2 yuan fee, which allows passengers to ride any line and transfer, is lower than it was in 2007, when it was returned to 2 yuan after it was hiked to 3 yuan in 1999. The draft did not specify by how much the fare may be increased or when the revision might be made. Beijing currently has 456 kilometers of subway lines in operation that carry 10 million