On the morning of August 3rd at 6:40 am, Zhang Yuanyuan, a cross-province commuter, stepped out of her apartment at the Rose Garden community in Dachang Hui Autonomous County, Langfang City, carrying her bag. She was heading to catch the Dacheng "Special Route 1" bus to work in Beijing. "Previously, I had to walk 20 minutes to the bus stop, then take the 822 bus, which took 50 minutes to reach Lucheng subway station in Beijing. Now, I board the 'Special Route 1' at my doorstep, and it takes just 20 minutes to get to Lucheng station. That saves me an hour of commuting time each way," Zhang explained as she walked.
Zhang Yuanyuan, originally from Shandong Province, works at the Third Hospital of Chaoyang District in Beijing. In 2019, she and her husband decided to settle in Dachang. "We could afford the house, and our child could be close by," Zhang said. Before the "Special Route 1" existed, she had to leave home at 5:30 am every day. Back then, she wished she could sleep for an extra hour. Unexpectedly, that wish came true.
On May 8, 2025, the province's first cross-province bus route, Dacheng "Special Route 1," was launched. Covering 12 stops from the Rongfengyuan community in Dachang to Lucheng subway station in Beijing's Tongzhou District, 11 of these stops are within Dachang, serving 16 communities and over 50,000 cross-province commuters. During peak hours, the bus runs every 20 minutes, and the fare after tapping a card is just 4.80 yuan per trip. Zhang quickly became a loyal passenger of this route.
Reporter followed Zhang on her work commute: boarding the "Special Route 1" at 6:50 am, arriving at Beijing Lucheng subway station by 7:10 am, transferring to the 312 bus, reaching Guojiachangqiao bus stop at 8:10 am, and finally arriving at the Third Hospital of Chaoyang District at 8:20 am. This saved her a full hour compared to her previous commute. What did she do with the extra time? "Sleep," Zhang laughed openly. "Getting an extra hour to an hour and a half of sleep is incredibly important to me." Zhang's 7-year-old son attends elementary school in Dachang. "The school is just across the street. Now that the factory bridge is open and the 'Special Route 1' is running, my commute is easier, and his school is convenient. It's solved the biggest challenge for working people," she said.
Liu Changkui, a driver for the Dacheng "Special Route 1," noted, "Daily commuters recognize this route for its convenience, speed, and the lack of hassle." In recent years, the transportation network in Langfang's Dachang area has been expanding rapidly: the opening of the Beijing-Tangshan Intercity Railway's Dachang section provides a direct 30-minute trip to Beijing Station; the G95 Capital Ring Expressway's Dachang section is now open; the Changtong Bridge over the Chaobai River has created a new entry point into Beijing; and with six Beijing bus routes, two customized express buses, and two rapid commuter lines, the "dead-end roads" are gradually being eliminated, transforming cross-province commuting from a "passable road" to an "efficient journey."
"The Changtong Bridge and the entry of Hebei-plated buses into Beijing are also practical outcomes of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei coordinated development initiative," said Zhang Chunfang, a member of the Party Leadership Group and a seventh-level official at the Dachang Hui Autonomous County Transportation Bureau, as well as the lead for a provincial-level ideological and political research project. This practice has become a case study for the 2026 Hebei Provincial Ideological and Political Research Project.
The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal emphasizes "advancing the construction of cross-regional and cross-basin major corridors, and strengthening regional infrastructure connectivity." The pace of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei transportation integration is accelerating. Since 2022, Langfang has launched 35 customized express bus routes connecting the Northern Three Counties, the main urban area, Gu'an, Yongqing, and Bazhou to Beijing, deploying 91 vehicles. These serve as a key transportation capacity for the 350,000 Langfang commuters living a dual-city lifestyle. Currently, Langfang is rapidly building a "one-hour commuting circle around Beijing," with all 35 routes operating throughout workdays, weekends, and holidays, having transported over 4 million passengers cumulatively. The challenges of cross-province commuting are being gradually alleviated through these bus routes, intercity trains, and cross-river bridges. Those who travel between the two cities are finally beginning to experience the stability and benefits of a "same-city-like" life in their daily commutes.
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