A new subway line, which runs through the complex of stadiums,
gymnasiums and parks for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is to
begin trial operation on June 1, a local rail traffic official said
in Beijing on Saturday.
Construction of the subway tunnel and stations has been
completed, the official said.
The 4.4-km-long line starts from Beitucheng, near the northern
fourth ring road, and travels underground through the gymnasium of
swimming, the venue for the Olympiad opening ceremony, the Olympic
Park and the Forest Park. It has four stops.
Beijing currently has 95 km of mass transit railway lines in
operation, of which 54.15 kilometers were build underground.
The city will increase the number of subway lines to nine with a
total length of 200 km by 2008, and bring them to 19 totaling 561.5
km by 2020, according to Beijing's city planning authorities.
?
(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2008)