The next station is Hebei. Please get ready for your arrival.

Yes indeed — we could be looking at Subway services for the bits and pieces of Hebei not far out from the Jing. We've our eyes set on three: Yanjiao and Sanhe, just miles east of the Line 6 (Phase II) terminus at Dongxiaoying, Zhuozhou (just southwest of the boundary with Beijing) on a future link with the Fangshan Line, and Langfang (most likely — that's on the Yizhuang Line extension on the drawing board).

These folks out there won't be CRH-type super-express trains; you'll need the Beijing-Tianjin Express for speeds up to 332 km/h. However, they will offer you a low-cost alternative if — one day — you get sick to death of our capital (like our Beijingologist right here) and want to spend quality time outside the Jing.

(It works! On the Beijingologist's first "real" visit to Langfang, he got welcomed by means of a CNY 5 prize ticket on a CNY 20 fapiao. Let's call that a random occurrence and leave it at that!)

Beijing has some serious railway network infrastructure in the works. It's not just the Beijing Subway any longer; the Maglev is coming into town, thanks to Suburban Railway Line 1, and we're also expecting a slew of high-speed rail works to start as well, including direct services to Tangshan and Zhangjiakou.

Oh and by the way — your Beijingologist is not a fan of the Beijing West Railway Station. Too many people. Pay lounge is full of folks as well. The capital's best tofu work — or nightmare. And joining the ranks of your Beijingologist is Mayor Guo Jinlong; he either wants it expanded (and, in true Beijingologist style, get the Subway into the thing), or he wants the thing — get this — moved.

Yep. Blow it up (as in expand it, not tear it into shreds) or — get the bloody thing out of here...