Beijing Olympics 2008

For the first time in the history of Beijing’s subway system, 24-hour subway service will be offered during the opening and closing days of the Beijing Olympic Games, subway corporation sources said.

The subway is expected to account for the bulk of passenger transportation on the Olympic opening day on August 8, 2008, when some 100,000 people are expected to attend the opening ceremony at the main stadium of the “Bird’s Nest,” which has a capacity of about 90,000. In addition, over 10,000 artists, security officers and other personnel will also need to evacuate the venue after the ceremony is over.

To ensure the timely exit of spectators, the subway will enter a “peak operation time” 30 minutes ahead of the windup of the opening and closing ceremonies, with a minimum interval of three minutes, sources were quoted by Xinhua as saying.

According to the Beijing Daily, the subway will extend its operating hours during the Olympic Games from August 8 to 24, and a “green passage” will be opened at subway stations for Olympic ticket-holding spectators, Games organizers and volunteers, who will be exempted from paying the two-yuan subway fee.

from: beijing2008.cn