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Passengers crowd into a carriage of the
brand-new subway line - Line 5 at Yonghegong Station in Chaoyang District,
Beijing on Sunday, October 7, 2007. After four years and nine months of
construction, Line 5, a north-south trunk subway, started operation at 2
pm Sunday. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
BEIJING, Oct. 8 -- Beijing Sunday began
operating a north-south trunk subway line on a trial basis, offering 2 yuan (27
cents) fares.
After four years and nine months of construction,
Line 5, which connects Tiantongyuan, Changping District, in the north and
Songjiazhuang, Fengtai District, in the south, opened to passengers at 2 pm
yesterday.
It takes 49 minutes to cover all the 23 stations
along the 27.6-km rail line.
The line passes through key Beijing tourist sites
including Dongdan, Tiantan (Temple of Heaven) and large communities like
Tiantongyuan.
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Passengers crowd into a carriage of the
brand-new subway line - Line 5 at Chongwenmen Station in Chongwen
District, Beijing on Sunday, October 7, 2007. After four years and nine
months of construction, Line 5, a north-south trunk subway, started
operation at 2 pm Sunday. (Xinhua Photo)
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"As a north-south artery line, the opening of Line 5
will greatly alleviate the traffic pressure on the ground," Wang Qishan, mayor
of Beijing, said.
"And the unified low ticket price will attract more
people to take the subway to go out."
It only costs passengers 2 yuan to take the city's
subway lines without limits on distance and transfer times.
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A passenger takes a photo of the scenery
outside the new subway line - Line 5 in Beijing on Sunday, October 7,
2007. After four years and nine months of construction, Line 5, a
north-south trunk subway, started operation at 2 pm Sunday. (Xinhua
Photo)
Photo
Gallery>>> |
The operation of the new line, the fifth one, boosts
the total length of the capital city's track transport network to 142 km and the
number of stations to 93.
"It is a demonstration of the city's determination to
give priority to the development of the public transportation system," Wang
said.
"Its successful operation ushered in a golden era for
the city's construction of subways."
Liu Xiaoming, deputy director of the Beijing
municipal committee of communications, said that by next year the city would
have about 200 km of operational subway lines.
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A man displays a souvenir marking the
opening of the new subway line - Line 5 in Beijing on October 7, 2007.
After four years and nine months of construction, Line 5, a north-south
trunk subway, started operation at 2 pm Sunday.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
As a long-term plan, Beijing will by 2015 have a
total 561 km of subway lines, he said.
People queued in long lines to be among the first to
ride the new rail network yesterday.
"It is one of the most important reasons why I bought
my house in Tiantongyuan," said Zhang Xin, a clerk who works in the Guomao area
of Chaoyang District.
The new line could cut his daily commute from nearly
two hours to half an hour, he said.
Jia Peng, director of the press office of the Beijing
Mass Transit Railway Operation Corp Ltd, the city's railway lines operator, said
that temporary safety measures, such as setting passenger limits, have been
introduced for the one-year trial.
"We need the cooperation and understanding of
passengers and we will take all means to ensure their safety," he said.
(Source: China Daily)
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A woman and her son take a photo before
boarding the new subway line - Line 5 in Beijing on October 7, 2007. After
four years and nine months of construction, Line 5, a north-south trunk
subway, started operation at 2 pm Sunday. (Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
