Three metro stations in Olympic host-city Beijing started security check on Sunday to deter terrorists, subway sources said on Monday.

The three stations are Dongzhimen and Xizhimen, both transfer stations, and Datun, the site of the Olympic village, said a subway staff member surnamed Zhang.

"This is a trial," he said. "We plan to have all 90 stations equipped with security-checking facilities to guarantee secure running of the Olympics."
 
With conveyer-carried luggage to be X-rayed, the checking facilities in metro stations are similar to those of an airport and major Chinese railway station.

Security is among the top concerns with the Olympics approaching in Beijing, where volunteers are set to patrol the streets and more than 80,000 police and security staff are set to be on duty at contest venues.

(Xinhua News Agency February 5, 2008)