WUHAN - Tunnel digging on the first subway to cross the Yangtze River finished on Sunday in the city of Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, and will open to traffic within this year.

The 27.98-km line, the first phase of Wuhan Subway Line II, will link districts of both Wuchang and Hankou, Xiong Zhaohui, deputy chief engineer at China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group, said.

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 longest river in China. It is expected to transport at least 600,000 passengers daily by 2015, Xiong said.

The line costs a total of 14.9 billion yuan ($2.37 billion).

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