Who This Is For: Subway people, as well as the general commuting public, especially those in Zhongguancun, the Olympic Green, the CBD and the Airport

Bad news (hellish news for your Subway boy aka the Beijingologist): if you thought you'd be on the rails -- on the new Lines 8 and 10, as well as the Airport Express, which -- for as far as we remember -- were guaranteed a June 30, 2008 opening, the bad news is that these lines have been delayed.

So why the delay? Fresh from the mind of your Beijingologist... tested-and-true...

1. The delay was pre-announced. As early as early June, reports from Subway-related forums foresaw a massive delay; instead of an unannounced pre-opening on June 20, the new lines (in particular Line 10) will open with a delay — July 5, 2008 was now the new candidate. In the mass media, the delay was reported: Beijing’s new lines were reported to be opening in early July.

2. Line 10 still has no first/last train schedule. This is an obvious “blip”, so to speak: how can you do those new lines if you have no schedule to go by? This isn’t exactly New York City, where the Subway does a 24-hour service; in the capital of the PRC, the Subway needs at least five hours off (often 00:00 through 05:00) per day. (Feel sorry for the thing! It does 19 hours in one go!)

3. The Dongzhimen Transport Hub still has “construction stuff” around the thing. You know — not everything’s “all done” at that big, first-tri-line-interchange-ever station in northeastern central Beijing. There are still a few tiles that need to go on the building.

4. A few stations still are “not really all that done”. Your Beijingologist took a city hike around eastern Beijing — and noted that exits A, B and C at Jintaixizhao, while complete, still had a bit of “uneven stuff” between the sidewalk and the Subway entrance. There was a whole lot of gardeners between exits B and C at the station. Do you think the Subway guys want fellow passengers to tread on uneven surface?

5. Reports (none of which are official) pour in about some minor bugs on the Airport Express. The word is that when the opening takes place, all three lines open in one go. This apparently may seem less-than-smart, but then again, with the whole load open, the network is expanded in one go. Other unconfirmed reports talk about a lack of service on Line 8.

6. Nobody knows how much we’ll pay for the Airport Express. Remember, a price hearing is to be held only on July 2, 2008. With a free Airport Express not being reality anytime soon, it seems like the Airport Express will have to wait until any day after the 2nd.

7. Road signs for Line 10 are still not all there. When Line 5 opened, a whole load of new traffic signs were already in place. We haven’t seen that kind of pre-announcement for Line 10.

So when will these three new lines open? Mark your calendars for mid-July 2008 -- that's what the news is now these days. By the way, some local Subway forums are already talking about an opening on July 15, 2008. Don't mark your calendars on the 15th, though -- your Beijingologist will tell you when it's safe to make the call!

Was that teeth from your Beijingologist that just underwent a massive gnashing? Please don't do that here... remember, this is a public forum!...