Like many Chinese state-owned companies, it is managed by a chief executive and overseen by a board of directors / party committee.

The subway construction and planning was headed by a special committee of the State Council.

[2] In November 1975, by order of the State Council and Central Military Commission the bureau was placed under the authority of Beijing Municipal Transportation Department.

[3] At the same time, the city also created two subsidiary companies—the Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp. Ltd., responsible for operating the subway, and the Beijing Mass Transit Construction Corp. Ltd., in charge of subway construction.

This type of operations agreement was repeated for Lines Batong, 5, 8, 10, 13 and the Airport Express.