Underground rail to link Beijing train stations

Workers are putting the final touches on an underground railroad linking two of Beijing's biggest train stations, Beijing Daily reported on Saturday.

The 9.2-kilometer rail, most of which runs about 30 meters below ground, connects Beijing Railway Station in Dongcheng district to Beijing West Railway Station in Fengtai district, and is expected to be completed this month.

The railroad will take much of the overground traffic pressure off as the commute time would be reduced to around 15 minutes.

Previously, transfer passengers would have to spend nearly one hour to commute by bus and subway between the two railway stations.

The construction spanned almost eight years, since late 2005, because of the complicated geography and engineering, according to a project manager from the China Railway Tunnel Group.

More information about passenger service and whether the railroad will be linked to the overground rails will be revealed later, sources from the group said.