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A driver checks a high-speed train before it heads from Tianjin to Beijing South Railway Station on Jan 25.[Photo/Xinhua] |
Beijing and Tianjin are planning a monthly pass for high-speed intercity trains linking the cities, as well as canceling expressway toll fees between the two cities, the mayor of Tianjin said on Monday.
The move will facilitate the integrated development of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, an outline given in 2015 to improve transportation links in the area, while also moving some of Beijing’s low-end industries to neighboring areas.
Wang Dongfeng, mayor of Tianjin, said the plan is to build a modern transportation system. He added that a unified smart prepaid traffic card, called Yikatong, already exists in 12 cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and the government aims to expand its use to all cities in the area by the end of this year.
In addition to universal traffic cards and expressways, the proposal of a high-speed train network in the region was approved last year, with Beijing-Binhai New Area Intercity Railway expected to be completed by 2020.
The Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway was the first of its kind in China. Traveling at up to 350 kilometers per hour, passengers can commute between the cities in about 40 minutes on trains that depart every 10 to 15 minutes.
Officials from Tianjin’s transportation bureau said they are still deliberating the monthly pass mechanism and a timetable is not available.
Potential benefactors are eagerly awaiting the implementation of the planned policies.
“We are looking forward to having monthly train passes,” said Xiang Nan, the managing director of a Tianjin-based investment company that has offices in Beijing, downtown Tianjin and Binhai New Area of Tianjin. He has rented offices near the train stations to save time on commuting.
Xiang said that he and seven of his employees spend nearly 5,000 yuan ($730) every month on commuting. “We hope the monthly pass can help frequent passengers save money.”
In 2009, a prepaid express card was issued by railway authorities for Beijing-Tianjin intercity trains, offering exclusive entrance channels at stations so frequent travelers don’t have to buy tickets in advance or wait in line before boarding.
In 2012, the express card was upgraded into a debit card that also works on about 20 intercity rail transit lines nationwide.
However, in both cases, passengers still have to pay the full price for each trip－54.5 yuan from Beijing to downtown Tianjin.
“If expressway toll fees were lifted, it would save us a lot of money,” said Wang Rui, who drives between Tianjin, where she works, and Beijing, where she and her husband own a house.
read moreA senior health official has called on governments at all levels to help relieve the burden on families wanting to have a second child.
Cui Li, vice-minister of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said on Tuesday that an array of departments need to introduce measures to help resolve issues that have arisen with the introduction of the second-child policy in January 2016.
Health authorities have been rolling out policies nationwide since family planning rules were relaxed, including improvements to maternal care facilities.
However, Cui warned that families will need help from other government departments to handle some problems, including increased expenses, maternity leave and a shortage of kindergartens.
“We hope through the efforts of governments at all levels … some tangible policies can be made in areas such as taxation and social security to promote the implementation of the policy so that those who want to have a second child can realize their dream,” she said.
“We will focus on problems that emerge as a result of the policy and work to solve them with other departments,” she said, adding that the second-child policy has already yielded positive results.
Cui said 18.7 million babies were born in China last year, up by 11 percent on 2015, with 45 percent born to women who already had a child.
Over the same period, the maternal mortality rate fell from 201 per 1 million births to 199, according to data released by the commission last month, despite the fact half of the 90 million women who became eligible to have a second child are over 40－putting them at a higher risk of complications during pregnancy.
A report released in December by the All China Women’s Federation and Beijing Normal University also called for more investment in public services to make having two children easier and more affordable.
The report included a survey of 10,155 couples in 21 cities who already have a child that found 53 percent did not want a larger family. The biggest concerns were education resources, healthcare services, the environment and the financial burden.
Cui added that the commission has received a lot of advice from the National People’s Congress, the top legislature, and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top advisory body, on implementation of the second-child policy, including measures to improve pediatric services.
The commission received 1,512 suggestions on various healthcare issues from the two bodies last year, she said.
Xi Yanchun, a spokeswoman for the State Council Information Office, added that ministries and departments under the nation’s Cabinet responded to 7,873 suggestions from the NPC and 3,862 from the CPPCC last year.
They included economic development, poverty alleviation and environmental protection proposals, Xi said.
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