CRI听力：Beijing Opens New Subway Line

The city of Beijing has opened a new subway line in a bid to boost the use of public transportation to ease road congestion and improve air quality ahead of the Olympic Games next year.
The more than 27 kilometer-long No. 5 subway line, which runs through the heart of the city from north to south, has taken nearly five years to complete.

The new subway cars are wider and taller than ones operating on the city's older lines, and are designed to reach a speed of 80 kilometers an hour.

Meanwhile, a new subway pricing system has been adopted, cutting subway fares by about 30 percent. Now a one-way ticket costs just two yuan, or around 27 US cents. No matter how long one travels and how many times one transfers between different lines, the price is the same.

Many passengers, especially those who commute a long way to work everyday, believe this can save them a lot of money.

"I spend about 300 yuan a month on the subway. Now I can save a large part of it."

To cope with possible increases in passengers after the price reduction, more trains will be put into service, meaning the interval between train arrival times will be shortened.