Beijing will complete its construction of five new subway lines and start work on another four this year, authorities said Wednesday.

Liu Yinchun, deputy director of the Beijing municipal commission of development and reform, said the five new lines ready this year are Yizhuang line, Daxing line, Changping line, Fangshan line and the first phase of line 15, making a total track length of more than 300 km.

The city will also kick off the construction of another four subway lines.

They are line 7, line 14, Xijiao line and S1 line - the first railway in China to handle medium and low speed maglev trains.

The S1 line will run from the west fourth ring road to the center of Mentougou district.

It will be able to handle maglev trains capable of speeds of 160 km per hour, twice as fast as standard underground trains, and is scheduled to open in 2015.

Liu said Beijing now has nine subway lines under construction, totaling another 209 km.

"I don't think any other city in the world can surpass Beijing in terms of subway line construction speed," Liu said at a news conference Wednesday at the commission.

The average number of daily subway passengers in Beijing was 4.8 million in 2009, accounting for 34 percent of the total number of passengers that use public transport.

"We aim to lift the percentage to over 50 by the end of 2015," Liu added, "At that point, the total length will exceed 561 km."

Beijing has long faced a serious traffic problem from its enormous population and a flawed public transport system.

The government invested 10.3 billion yuan in various transport programs in 2009, equaling 75 percent of the whole infrastructure investment.

Liu admitted that Beijing's transport system continues to drag behind the ever-increasing demand, but the government has decided to maintain the high investment rate.

Most Beijing residents are looking forward to seeing more subway lines open this year.

Zhao Yan, a 25-year-old girl who lives in Shunyi district, said she usually takes the bus to office, but will start using line 15 when it opens.

Gregor Lippe, a German who has lived in Beijing's Gulou Street for over six years, said the subway lines are good news.

"I prefer to take the subway because I don't drive. It's faster and safer," he said.

But not everyone is happy about the current plan.

"Nine lines are far from enough for a city of this size," Li Xiaobin, a 27-year-old subway guard in Yonghegong subway station, told METRO yesterday.

"And I don't think the new lines will help much because more people will just decide to take them."

(China Daily January 7, 2010)