The tunnel excavation work of Line Five of Beijing's subway system will be completed by the end of December, said a source with the municipal metro construction company here Saturday.

The 27.6-km line consists of a 16.9-km underground section.

According to the plan of the company, a complete run-through of the line's tunnel will be achieved at the end of this year while the tracks laying is to be finished in September, 2006.

Construction of the stations and the testing work of the line are planned in the first three months of 2007.

And Line Five will be officially put into commercial run at the end of June, 2007, and the gross investment is expected to be 13 billion yuan (1.6 billion US dollars), said the company source.

Currently, four subway lines are running in Beijing, covering the major downtown area and part of the city's suburbs, and besides Line Five, four other subway lines are under construction.

Source: Xinhua