Four billion yuan put in metro construction in Beijing 2004

The capital Beijing will have finished the investment of 4 billion yuan (about 480 million US dollars) in constructing three major metro loops this year, said an official with the Beijing municipal construction committee Tuesday.

The three metro line projects under way, namely loop 4, loop 5 and loop 10, with a combined length of 88.46 kilometers, are sure to greatly alleviate the ground traffic pressure of Beijing during the 2008 Olympics period.

The official noted that 70 metro sections will start construction next year. Completion of the loop 4 that links Beijing Zoo, Xisi, Xuanwumen and Caishikou and other stations, will make the south-north traffic much easier and unhindered by diverting passenger flows to metros.

Loop 10 will become the stem line between the third and fourth ring roads, and approximately 90 percent of the engineering work for loop 5 will complete in 2005.

The total metro lines in the metropolis have so far reached 114 km in length, according to statistics from the municipal construction committee.