Beijing will add 34 routes to its public transport network during the Olympic Games to facilitate increasing passenger flows, a local traffic official said on Wednesday.

In addition, 16 routes would be opened to traffic for the Paralympics opening on September 6, Zhou Zhengyu, deputy head of the Beijing Municipal Committee of Communications, said at the 2008 Beijing International Media Center.

The new routes would be operational between July 20 and Sept. 20, mainly linking sports venues with other parts of the city. The350 existing routes would prolong their operational hours during the period.

The city's public transport system will be able to move 21.1 million passengers daily during the two sporting events, according to Zhou.

Beijing will add 3,000 buses before August 8, when the Olympics kicks off, raising the daily handling capacity to 15 million passengers from current 12.5 million.

According to Wang Xinsheng, the Beijing Public Transport Holdings Ltd. vice minister, a number of buses will be standing by around each of the venues until the end of Games.

The opening of several new subway lines and more than 60,000 cabs would also help to meet the increasing transport demand by spectators, athletes, reporters and travelers, he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2008)