BEIJING, May 13 (Xinhuanet) -- Three stations along Shanghai's elevated Pearl light-rail line will be closed for two months because the ground around the stations is sinking, according to store owners in the area.

    They said they have been warned by the metro station workers that the stations will be closed beginning on June 10. The three stations are at the southern end of the rail line, namely the Shilong Road, Caoxi Road and Longcao Road stations.

    That means trains will go no further than the Yishan Road Station during the period.

    A spokesman for Shanghai Metro Operation Co, which operates Pearl and two other metro lines, wouldn't confirm plans to close the stations yesterday, refusing to comment on the issue. An official with the company, who refused to be identified, admitted engineers have noticed some minor problems along the line.

    "But we're still looking at how serious it is and we have never made any decision to close the stations," he said yesterday.

    The official said the small problems that have been discovered pose no risk to the rail line or passengers.

    "If the problems had been so big that it influenced security, we would have stopped operations already. We care about passengers' lives," he added.

    The line, also called RT No. 3, runs from the Southern Railway Station to Jiangwan Town in the northern end. It carries more than 250,000 commuters every day.

    The busiest of the three stations said to be closed is the Caoxi Road Station, which is connected to more than 20 bus lines.

    Local rail experts said if the metro line has to be suspended for two months the sinking must exceed the line's "safe range."

    "Some of the city's high buildings undergo subsidence regularly but their tenants don't have to be moved out," said Yu Jiakang, a senior engineer with the Shanghai Tunnel Engineering and Rail Transit Design and Research Institute.

    "The construction of rail transport lines is far more technically demanding than a building," he said. "There are several potential reasons for the sinking, including improper construction of high-rises in the line's surroundings and unsubstantial track foundations."

    Last month, officials confirmed that the maglev line in Pudong is sinking.

(Shanghai Daily news)