A local resident checks the building to see if ceramic tiles have fallen at Qingdaojiayuan community in Daxing district. [Photo/China Daily]

While people in Daxing district have welcomed the convenience of the newly opened Daxing subway line, more than 200 households in a community near one section of the line have been complaining that the convenience comes at a cost - shaking ground.

"The shaking is noticeable both day and night and when it is at its most serious, you can hear glasses rattling together," said Liu Hezuo, a resident of No 8 building in the Qingdaojiayuan community. The community is close to the new line's Gaomidianbei Station.

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Liu, who is almost 60, usually goes to bed at 9:30 pm and rises each morning at 5:30 am.

Ever since the new subway line started its trail run in November, he has been unable to get to sleep until midnight because the train is running until 11:30 pm. But he is still waking early, courtesy of the trains starting before 6 am.

"All my five daughters work in Zhongguancun," said Liu. "So, I had been longing for the subway for a long time. I just didn't expect the shakes would be part of the deal."

In Miao Zhuang's home in the same building on the first floor, the ground shakes every five minutes and the noise is noticeable, even above the din created by the seven people who live there.

"The quake is stronger during peak hours, early morning and late at night," said Miao. "Sometimes, I hear pipes shaking in the wall."

Surface deformities and cracks in the walls and ceiling can be seen in every room.

Miao marks the cracks on a daily basis, keeping track of their changes.

"So I can see how they are growing day by day," he said.

Residents in seven buildings along the eastern edge of the community have complained about shaking and noise.

On the east side of No 6 building, bricks on the outer wall are now looser. The property management company fenced the adjacent area and has hung a sign reading: "Beware of falling bricks".

Residents in the community have been searching for solutions for months and have been calling and writing to governments at all levels and to related departments to ensure they are aware of the situation.

An official from the Qingyuan sub-district office who requested anonymity said they had been trying hard to resolve the issue during the past month and had written letters to residents, visited homes to take detailed information and organized five meetings to discuss the situation.

She told METRO that the environmental department had tested the level of shaking in residents' homes on two occasions in December.

Residents said they were told that the shakes exceed the allowable limits during the testing but they have not received an official report.

The operator of the Daxing line, Beijing MTR Construction Administration Corporation, has organized a group of experts to discuss the causes and solutions. The first conference was held on Friday.

Liu Weining, a professor at Beijing Jiaotong University and one of the experts involved, specializes in the environmental impacts of subways. He said the data collected during the previous tests was "inaccurate and incomplete".

"We have already started to re-test," Liu said. He refused to give additional details.

A staff member from the Beijing MTR Corporation, who refused to be named, said the shakes were not caused by a single reason and the issue was "very complicated".

"It might be a complex problem caused by the trains, the orbits and the civil structure of the buildings and we need to consider all the possibilities," he said.

Since Dec 10, the corporation has halved the speed of trains to reduce the shaking but ground quakes are still obvious.

"We have spent our lifetime saving for this apartment," said Zhang Chun, a resident of No 4 building.

"We moved out of town 10 years ago for a quieter environment for our parents and kids. We don't deserve this."