Beijing opens 2 new subway lines, airport rail link

Sat, Jul 19 03:29 PM

BEIJING (AP) _ Beijing opened two new subway lines and an airport rail link on Saturday, three weeks ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Built at a cost of 22.3 billion yuan (US$3.3 billion), the three lines were completed about a month behind schedule.

The two subway lines will directly serve Olympic visitors. One subway line is 15.5 miles (25 kilometers) long and runs southeast to northwest.

The second is three miles (five kilometers) long and serves the Olympic Green area and main venues such as the National Stadium and National Aquatics Center. The Airport Line runs 17.5 miles (28 kilometers) from the airport to Beijing's central business district.

The new public transport lines complement a strict vehicle reduction plan that goes into force Sunday. The plan, designed to keep about half of Beijing's 3.3 million vehicles off the road during the Olympics, only allows vehicles to be driven every other day.

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