The subways, together with the two existing ones, will form an underground transportation network connecting all the city's districts and suburbs.

According to official sources, the city is also considering constructing a large number of garages, water treatment plants and other public utilities underground.

Shanghai, with a population of some 13 million, has been facing a shortage of transportation facilities for many years.

Over the past decade, the city has already built two subways and a tunnel under the Huangpu River, linking downtown Shanghai with Pudong, an emerging financial and trade zone.

Local experts said that resorting to underground development may be a way out for a city with a huge population and limited ground space.

(People’s Daily 10/30/2000)