Changsha Metro Group announced publicly its first environmental impact assessment of the Metro Line 5 phase one project on Jan 7, in a bid to seek public opinion, Changsha Evening News reported.

The first phase project of Metro Line 5 is part of the Changsha Urban Rail Transit Immediate Plan (2012-2018). The line will run north-south along the Wanjiali Road underground, starting from the Shidai Yangguang Avenue Station to Panlong Road Station, stretching 22.7 km.

It is estimated that the project will cost 16.5 billion yuan ($2.65 billion) and five years to complete, and its construction work is expected to start in 2015.

The public opinion questionnaires regarding the project's environmental impact mainly include: whether the public know about the project, whether they support its construction from an environmental point of view, which aspects of environmental impact they are concerned about, and their opinions or suggestions on the environmental protection work of the project.

Residents can log on to the official website of Changsha Metro Group (www.hncsmtr.com) to make relevant inquiries.

A routing layout of the Metro Line 5 in Changsha [Map by Wang Bin/Changsha Evening News]