Snow in Beijing affects road, railway, air traffic

BEIJING, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Road, rail and air traffic in Beijing were disrupted on Monday following snowfall from Sunday evening, and local authorities have implemented measures to ensure the safety of the public.

From 7 p.m. Sunday to 8 a.m. Monday, snowfall in the city reached 5.8 mm on average. The largest precipitation was seen in Fangshan District, reaching 10.2 mm, according to data provided by the Beijing Meteorological Service.

Around 7:30 a.m., pedestrians in Xicheng District, many escorting their children to school, were treading on icy and muddy roads. Several electric bike riders were seen falling on the ground near Xuanwumen in the district.

The city's weather station issued a yellow alert for icy roads at 4:50 p.m. Sunday, forecasting that large areas in the city are prone to having icy roads between 11 p.m. Sunday and 2 p.m. Monday.

China has a four-tier weather warning system, with red representing the most severe alert, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

By 7 a.m. Monday, over 180 bus routes in Beijing were suspended. The city has so far arranged about 63,000 workers and prepared over 6,600 vehicles and other equipment for snow removal and ice clearing of the roads.

According to China Railway Beijing Group Co., Ltd., several trains departing from or passing through Beijing have been canceled for Monday. Speed restrictions have been enforced for trains traveling in both directions along the Beijing-Guangzhou high-speed railway, leading to delays for some trains.

A total of 65 flights had been canceled at the Beijing Capital International Airport by 12:27 p.m. Monday, and the overall operational order of the airport remained normal, according to the airport.

Meanwhile, visitors were seen waiting outside popular tourist sites like the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park early Monday morning to enjoy the snow-covered sceneries.

According to the weather forecast, light snow will continue on Monday.