Beijing plans to connect its new international airport to the downtown via a 40-kilometer urban rail transit line and three expressways, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Urban rail transit will also be used to connect the two international airports in the capital, allowing passengers to travel between the two locations in 30 to 40 minutes, Liu Yinchun, deputy director of Beijing municipal commission of development and reform, said during a radio program.

Construction on the new capital airport in Beijing's less-developed southern Daxing district will start next year, and it will be put into use in 2018.

Liu said the 40-km rail transit line is expected to bring air passengers to the new airport from downtown in 30 minutes, and will be connected to existing subway lines.

A new expressway, parallel to the rail transit line, will be built linking downtown Beijing to the new airport. Two existing expressways, on the city's east and west sides, will be extended to reach the new airport.

As the new capital airport is planned to be an international air hub, handling 45 million passengers annually at the beginning and 70 million passengers by 2025, the transport infrastructure plan has been one of the major issues.

The city will also complete a plan of the new airport's water, electricity and heat supply and garbage disposal facilities this year, he added.

The new airport will cost more than 70 billion yuan ($11.3 billion) and have six runways for civil use. It is expected to greatly ease the burden on the current airport.

Beijing Capital International Airport has been ranked as the world's second-busiest airport for three consecutive years.

chenxin1@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/10/2013 page3)