The first subway in Xi'an will be opened in late August or early September. Xi'an, capital city of Shaanxi Province, used to be capital of 13 ancient Chinese dynasties. The city's first subway, Line 2, with a length of 26.3 kilometers, was started to build on 29 Sept 2006.
Subway Line 2, which links North Railway Station to Weiqu in the south, has totally 20 stations. It was built 20 m underground to protect a 13.7 km city wall dating back to the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), a key downtown heritage site. The line carefully circles an ancient tower building. Advanced technologies have been used to protect ancient buildings from the impact of tremors and shaking.
According to the city's subway construction authorities, the total length of Xi'an subway is planned to be 94.6 kilometers in 2015 after the completion Line 1 and Line 3. The city plans to have a subway network of 6 lines reaching 251.8 kilometers in the more distance future.