Central China's city of Wuhan will open its first subway line by the end of this year to ease traffic pressure, local authorities said.

The first phase of Wuhan's Line 2 subway will cross under the Yangtze river, connecting the city's Wuchang and Hankou districts.

"Tunnels linking all 21 of the line's subway stations have been built and construction on the stations' main structures has been finished," said Ma Junrui, vice general manager of the Wuhan Subway Group.

As a key transportation route in Wuhan, the line will handle half of the city's cross-Yangtze traffic flow, easing gridlock on bridges over the country's longest river. It is expected to transport at least 600,000 passengers daily by 2015.

Building the line will cost a total of 14.9 billion yuan (2.37 billion U.S. dollars).

Wuhan lies at the intersection of the Han and Yangtze rivers. Its city proper is divided into three areas by the rivers.

Wuhan will build more subway lines over the next five years, bringing the total length of its subway to 180 km, officials have said.

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