Almost 20,000 volunteers, including operating company staff and university students, will be at Beijing subway stations to keep order and assist passengers during the Olympics and Paralympics.

There will be about 1,300 volunteers working every day at 123 stations along the eight existing subway lines.

Wang Dexing, president of the Beijing Subway Operation Company, said 294 volunteers had started working in March.

Another 5,700 volunteers were recruited from 28 universities in Beijing and were already in service. These English-speaking university students were able to offer information for both domestic and foreign passengers.

They would also help passengers with the automatic ticket selling machines, and assist the ill and disabled.

The host city of the Olympics from August 8 to 24 and the Paralympics from September 6 to 17, Beijing has eight subway lines transporting millions of passengers daily since three new lines opened two weeks ago.

The government tightened security at subway stations on Wednesday asking passengers to submit all bags for screening.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2008)