The other big new feature is tips. Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what’s nearby:

Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:

You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city.

And of course we’ve brought Explore Beijing fully up to date for 2012 with the latest lines and stations: find journey times on the new Line 9, Line 8 extension and Line 15 extension.

Explore Beijing 6.0 is a free update for existing users. Not got Explore Beijing yet? Download it now from the iTunes App Store.

Yours truly has recently heard of a few disturbing cases where some riders (especially young riders) have been harassed for taking pictures at some Beijing Subway stations.

No law in China forbids photography inside trains or at stations, but it is an offence under at least the Beijing Subway regulations “to remain for an extended period of time” (久留) inside stations, especially on the platforms or concourses.

Read the full article at DearPassengers.com >>

The good news is that Line 8 is reopening with a longer northern extension towards Huilongguan, interchanging with Line 13 at Huoying. Line 15 is also extended, and there’s a brand new Line 9 which connects the Fangshan Line to Beijing West Railway Station. Line 9 and the Fangshan Line are still isolated from the rest of the subway system: you’ll need to take a bus from Beijing West Railway Station to Military Museum station on Line 1.

Here’s a map highlighted the newly opened lines: click to expand. Look out for updated versions of our interactive subway map and Beijing Subway iPhone app when the new lines open.

• Zhuxinzhuang 朱辛庄 (Changping Line)
• Pingxifu 平西府
• Huoying 霍营 (Line 13)
• Xisanqi 西三旗
• Xisanqi South 西三旗南
• Yongtai 永泰
• Lincui Lu 林萃路
• South Gate of Forest Park 森林公园南门
• Olympic Green 奥林匹克公园
• Olympic Sports Center 奥体中心
• Beitucheng 北土城 (Line 10)

We’ve taken the best features of the iPhone/iPod touch experience and redesigned them to work on the iPad’s larger screen. Here’s what you’ll see when you start Explore Shanghai.

Of course, the metro map takes centre stage. You can search for a station with the search bar, or tap on any station for timetables and route-planning:

Notice the “flip” button? A great new feature is the ability to “flip” the screen to see a large Google Map of the station and surrounding area:

Other nearby stations are highlighted. You can also tap the “locate” button  to centre the map on your current location.

Because the apps are “Universal” apps, they work both on iPhone/iPod touch (including retina graphics!) and iPad/iPad 2. If you’ve already bought one of our apps for iPhone, you can install it on iPad for free. And of course, updating to version 3.0 is free. Not downloaded yet? Our apps cost just $1.99 on the iTunes App Store: download now!

We’d love to hear your feedback about ways to improve our apps. Do get in touch if you find any bugs or have any suggestions!

Line 12, linking the northeast of the city to the southwest, will have 32 stations along 40 kilometers, passing through eight districts. Passengers will be able to transfer to Line 1 and 13 at Hanzhong Road Station, to Line 2 and 13 at Nanjing Road W. Station and to Line 1 and 10 at Shaanxi Road S. Station.

Line 13 will include 14 stations, with 16 kilometers of track stretching from suburban Jiading District to downtown Jing’an District. Three stops on Line 13 were in operation during the World Expo last year. The full line is expected to include this section, and extend to Pudong New Area, said the authority.

Line 16, which will have 13 stations, will mainly operate in Pudong’s Nanhui area. It will connect to Line 2 and 7 at Longyang Road and end at Lingang New City.

In addition to the three new lines, the authority is extending Line 11. Its 21-kilometer second phase stretches from Jiangsu Road Station, crossing the Huangpu River and linking to Pudong’s Luoshan Road Station.

Not to be outdone, Beijing announced EIGHT lines were now under construction, all scheduled to open between 2013 and 2015, including the world’s first “low-speed” maglev line.

ExploreMetro will soon be making an exciting announcement of it’s own! Our iPhone apps will soon support the iPad (and of course, the iPad 2)! Check out the video for a preview!