Beijing Opens $3B Airport Terminal For Upcoming Olympics

Beijing Opens $3B Airport Terminal Ahead Of Olympics

The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Fong & Stanley reported that Beijing on Friday opened a $3B airport terminal as part of the city's "transformation before this summer's" Beijing Olympic Games. With the new terminal, the Beijing airport "should be able to handle some 90 million passengers yearly by 2012." Meanwhile, Beijing officials Friday held ceremonies to "celebrate two new subway lines costing over $4[B] that are part of the Olympic buildup." One of the lines will service the Olympic Green area, where most Olympic events will be held (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/1). London-based engineering firm Arup Dir of China Operations Rory McGowan, whose company was one of the airport project's partners, said of the terminal's construction: "It was incredibly fast. Even by Chinese standards." The terminal has 64 restaurants, 175 escalators, 173 elevators and 437 moving sidewalks. Chinese officials were able to construct the terminal in "haste," as they moved nine villages and about 10,000 people to make way for the project (Portland OREGONIAN, 3/1).