Roads and rails are clamoring for private investment in Beijing in the run-up to 2008, Friday's China Daily reported.

The north expressway to the Capital International Airport, the Beijing-Pinggu expressway, the third-phase project of the Beijing-Chengde expressway and renovation of State Highway No. 110 are all open to investors for building and operation, the newspaper quoted Ding Xiangyang, an official with Beijing municipal government, was quoted as saying.

Ding, director of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Development and Reform, told local lawmakers in a report Thursday that Beijing's subway projects, petrol stations and parking lots would also adopt a franchise system.

He said the Beijing municipal government has opened infrastructure building and operation to private investment in an attempt to ease pressure on the government and improve services.

Subway Line No. 4, for example, already has a Hong Kong-based company as investor and operator.

Private investment of 4.6 billion yuan (560 million US dollars) was pumped into the subway line.

To date, more than 10 projects in Beijing have attracted non-government investment from home and abroad, bringing in 11 billion yuan (1.3 billion US dollars) in total, according to Ding.

By People's Daily Online