Beijing railway begins trial run

The western section of Beijing's first light railway, connecting Xizhimen with the northern suburb of Huoying, was put into operation Saturday. The completed western section of the light rail system is expected to improve passenger transport in the northern suburbs of the city. The 12.8-mile railway starts at Xizhimen, running through the northern suburbs of Beijing, where new residential and business districts exist and Beijing University, and ends at Dongzhimen. Construction of the estimated $791 million project began in 1999 with the entire system expected to be operational in 2003.