A 'No Eating and Drinking' sign.

By Zhou Yongjing

Soft drink vending machines appeared on Thursday at subway stations on Line 4, but passengers are not allowed to eat or drink on the trains.

The vending machines are located close to a ticket barrier at Zhongguancun subway station; the machines provide 20 kinds of soft drinks, ranging from juice to cola. Passengers are able to purchase the drinks with notes or public transportation cards, although on the other side of the barrier, a "No Eating and Drinking" sign is pasted on the wall.

"It is a little bit confusing," said Wang Haoyu, a 27-year-old office worker, who said that he would not purchase the drinks from the machines. "They offer drinks but forbid drinking. It doesn't make sense."

As the newest subway line in the capital, Line 4 came into operation on September 28 and
runs from north to south. Line 4 is different to other lines as it prohibits eating and drinking, which raised a few eyebrows, as it's common for passengers in Beijing to take food and drinks with them on the subway.

Beijing MTR Corporation Limited, the subway operator, denied any contradictions, claiming that the vending machines are there as a convenience to the passengers. "Like ATM and public phones, we want to provide diversified services to passengers," the metro company told the Global Times.

Not all passengers care about the vending machines and the ban. Liu Ling, a regular subway user, compared the contradiction with crossing a road. "I follow the rules, but some justcross the road when the light is red. It's a self-consciousness thing. You can buy a drink, but it is your choice to keep it in the bag," he said.

A drink vending machine. Photos: Guo Yingguang