Beijing Subway Gets Americanized -- Longer Service Hours, US English Announcements

Two quickies that show you that the Beijing Subway is getting more American than you thought: first off, after pulling off 24-hour services from August 8 through 9, 2008, the Beijing Subway is now extending its service hours all the way into nearly 2 AM. The first train on the system, by the way, runs a few minutes before 5 AM, making that something like 21 hours of Subway service, non-stop. Gaps between one train and the other are also on the short side: 2 minutes and 30 seconds at peak hours for Lines 1 and 2. The Airport Express, too, is running late -- as in extending its services well into the next day. This is good news for those of us rushing from one sports venue to the other -- or those who just want a good night out in Olympic City as it is right now.

As if mimicking (or attempting to mimic) NYC's 24-hour Subway system wasn't enough, Lines 1 and 2 are now featuring new announcements in -- American English. The former stoccato local accent is history; in comes the new Ms Lines 1 and 2. Apparently, an update to the prerecorded announcements to give new the new Line 10 and Airport Express airtime (as existing lines link to the new Subway routes) was all that it took for the accent Americanization of the Chinese capital's rail transit system.