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China's oldest metro line starts platform barrier installation

Xinhua, April 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Beijing on Monday began installing platform barriers on Line 1 of its subway, the oldest metro line on the Chinese mainland, which has been plagued by a spate of suicides and accidents in recent years.

Workers began installing screen doors separating passengers from the tracks at Nanlishilu Station in the early hours of Monday. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of 2017, the line's operator said.

An operator's spokesperson said the project involves many complicated adjustments, including reinforcing the platforms to make them tough enough for the doors.

The east-west line, which opened in 1969, runs in parallel with the most well-known avenue in Beijing. It is one of the world's busiest metro lines, with a daily ridership of 1.4 million.

Line 1 and Line 2 are the city's only subway lines not equipped with platform barriers. Metro operators said Line 2 will also be installed with screen doors, but did not reveal a timetable.

The two lines have seen increasing reports of passengers falling onto the tracks, either by accident or as suicide attempts. Endi