It is a system with magnetic card（paper magnetic card and PET magnetic card）or smart card（non-touching IC card）as the ticket media. Through the terminal equipment like automatic ticket selling machine, semi-automatic ticket selling machine/after-normal-time ticket selling machine, automatic ticket collecting machine, enquiry machine and computer network, the system can realize the close-styled automatic ticket management in the rail transportation, including the automatic ticket selling, automatic ticket collecting, automatic charging and automatic statistics collecting. This system, with the high and new technologies like computer, network, auto control, large database and smart card in it, is highly smart and information-based.  

The AFC of Line13 was put into trial use on December 31, 2003. It was the first AFC system that Beijing Subway has ever put in use in its more than thirty years operation. It was a first taste of AFC, which is beneficial to the full implementation of the system and an important step of the goal of “One card through the city”in the area of the city’s public passenger transportation as set in the strategy of “Digital Beijing”. The system is designed to include a semi-automatic ticket selling, automatic ticket collection at gate, and a wholly closed train-taking area from the previous semi-closed train-taking area which requires the passengers to show their tickets both entering and leaving the station. At the first stage, the system provides both single-journey ticket and money-inside ticket. For the former, it is a small magnetic ticket; for the latter, it is “one card through city”IC card of urban transportation. Passengers can select either one according to their needs. For those passengers who often takes Line 13, the money-inside ticket of “one card through city”prevents buying tickets everyday when entering the station, thus shortening the time spent outside. This money-inside ticket can be bought and recharged at the ticket offices on Line 13.