Vehicles pass by a sign for a special lane for the Winter Olympic Games on a road in Beijing on January 21, 2022. Photo: Li Hao/GT

The Ministry of Transport and the Beijing municipal government jointly held an emergency response drill under extreme conditions including snow or a major traffic incident during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, media reported Friday, while Beijing opened special lanes exclusive for Olympic vehicles .

Emergency response forces from North China's Tianjin Municipality, Hebei and Shanxi provinces and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, also participated in the drill.  

In total, 561 personnel, 189 units of equipment and one helicopter took part in the drill, which covered exercises in securing transportation facing geological disasters, snowy weather and accident as well as emergency service to secure public transportation, according to media reports.

The exercises were conducted using major freeway sections and subway stations that will be used during the Olympic Games.

With the Games being scheduled to open on February 4, the city's transport command center has been working 24 hours to support the smooth operation of the 248.9-kilometer-long Olympic route. Emergency mechanisms have also been initiated for regular traffic in Beijing.

Special lanes have been opened on Beijing roads on Friday for Olympic vehicles to commute between competition venues and other related Olympic facilities, local media reported. 

The lanes, 42 in total measuring 239.5 kilometers, will be used from Friday to February 25 for the Winter Olympics Games. Winter Paralympic lanes will be in use from February 26 to March 16, and include 29 special lanes measuring 196.7 kilometers. 

The lane on the Beijing-Chongli freeway will be open 24 hours. Other special lanes will be open from 6 am to 24 pm.

Global Times