The construction and operation of a metro system are costly, and the sustainable development of a metro system is difficult using government funding alone, particularly for developing countries. The main source for metro system financing in China is, currently, government budget and bank debt. Many cities have begun to seek new ways to attract funds from finance markets, which is increasing the need for the evaluation of metro financing. This study uses Beijing as a case study that utilises

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... ous financing modes with impressive results. As participants of the financing reform, the authors collected all the relative government documents and interviewed stakeholders to accomplish this work. This article reviews the development of financing modes for the Beijing Metro system during the last four decades and analyses the role of the government in the reformed financing system within the Chinese social political environment. The study addresses the advantages and challenges of the reforms in this context. To further analyses the technical processes of typical financing modes, the public-private partnership mode of Line 4, the BT mode of Olympic Branch Line, the insurance claim mode of Line 10 and the failure of the market oriented financing for Capital Airport Line are analysed and evaluated in detail. It concludes that the financing reform of public infrastructure in a public-ownership-dominated economy could be effective through government directions but the reformed financing is not completely market financing as shown, and the sustainability of financing will be challenging in the future.