Construction of a 16.9 kilometers subway line in Nanjing, the capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province, started Tuesday.

The first phase of Nanjing's north-south subway project has an investment value of over 7 billion yuan (US$843 million) and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2005.

The subway line starts at Xiaohang in the southern part of Nanjing and ends at Maigaoqiao in the north with 13 stops, passing through the city's downtown area.

At present, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Tianjin and Shenzhen have established subway networks, many other cities in China are also preparing for the construction of subway lines.

(Xinhua 12/12/2000)