The theft of a subway cable crippled Beijing's Batong subway line for nearly an hour Thursday morning.

The Batong line did not start moving again until 7:30 am, causing over 10,000 passengers to be late for work.

The City Public Transportation Company responded to the incident by immediately adding over 70 buses ran along the Batong route to ease the pressure.

Police are now investigating the case.

Some parts of Beijing's subway and light rail lines are exposed and can easily be stolen.

The city government is now planning to pass a law to protect subway cables. Security measures have also been tightened.

(CRI December 17, 2004)