Construction of a metro line connecting Beijing's airport and downtown will start this month and be completed in June 2008, in time for the Olympics.

The 27.3-kilometer line runs from Dongzhimen, a pivotal point on the east wing of the Second Ring Road, to the No. 2 and No. 3 terminal buildings at Beijing Capital International Airport, said Liu Jian, an official with Beijing Municipal Commission of Reform and Development.

The new line will allow trains to travel at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour and a trip to the airport will take only 16 minutes, compared with at least 30 minutes by taxi on an expressway.

The project is designed to operate at least 15 hours a day, carrying more than 4,500 passengers per hour at the peak hours, said Liu, who is in charge of infrastructure construction.

Interchanges will be easy to the No. 2 and 13 lines that are already in operation, and No. 10 line that is also set to start operation in June 2008.

In the feasibility report of the project, price for a one-way ticket is proposed at 20 yuan (2.5 U.S. dollars), but the final price will be set after verification by the price authorities, Liu said.

A special lounge will be built at Dongzhimen Station where plane passengers can finish boarding procedures before they arrive at the airport. They can even manage a quick tour of the city after having their luggage consigned.

Liu said 3.6 kilometers of the metro will be built underground between Dongzhimen and Sanyuanqiao stations to avoid troubling local residents, although this means a higher construction cost.

China Daily said the project will cost 5.4 billion yuan (670 million U.S. dollars), funded by a joint venture of five domestic companies.

The trains on the new line will be the first in Beijing to be equipped with linear motors, which have many advantages over traditional motors, such as less noisy.

Source: Xinhua