Comment on "Beijing's mooted subway fare hike sparks controversy" (China Daily website, Dec 18)

It's okay to raise metro fares if the local authorities and subway operators use the extra money to expand the network and improve services. If passengers have to queue up for a long time during rush hours, it means that the network needs to be improved. Besides building more lines, there are other ways to expand the subway's transportation capacity.

Most Beijing subway trains have four to six carriages, which can be increased to 10. In Sydney's suburban railway network all trains have eight carriages at most times.

Moreover, it seems that most of the metro lines in Beijing are in north-south and east-west directions. Criss-crossing lines could intersect other lines at more stations for easier transfer, which would make commuting from one district of the capital to another much faster.

The London metro is a good example of criss-crossing lines allowing easier transfer and enabling faster commuting from one part of the city to another.

Perhaps the old metro model is not good enough for a country like China that has a huge population.

JJ-Sydney-OZ, from China Daily forum

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(China Daily 12/25/2013 page9)