(Yicai Global) Aug. 16 -- New subway stations being built in Beijing will be allowed to open commercial facilities such as newsstands and convenience stores. Retail outlets in the capital's public metro were closed in 2004 for security reasons.

Beijing will include the planning of commercial spaces in new transport hubs and will set up retail outlets in new subway stations by the end of next year, according to a document issued by the city government yesterday. There was no word on its plans for convenience stores in existing stations.

Regulations have required stations, their entrances and exits to be kept clear so as not to affect commuter flows or impede emergency evacuations. Only a few vending machines are available in some stations. Convenience stores are commonplace in the metro systems of other major Chinese metropolises such as Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu.

In the run up to the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, the capital is in overdrive to upgrade its subway system. It plans to have 29 lines stretching 999 kilometers with 556 stations by 2021, from the current 16 lines covering 500 km.