A train runs on a new airport subway line for trial in Beijing, capital of China, June 15, 2019. Self-driving trains for the subway line connecting downtown Beijing with its new international airport started trial run Saturday, according to local authorities. Stretching 41.4 kilometers, the new line supports autopilot system and can run at a speed of 160 km per hour, with as many as 448 passengers, according to Beijing Major Projects Construction Headquarters Office. Photo: Xinhua

Qingdao Metro said late Sunday that they had punished a manager and would fine the China Gezhouba Group Electric Power Company 1 million yuan ($145,666) to penalize them for their malpractice in a local metro construction project, the latest scandal to hit the subway line.   

Subway authorities in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province, said on their WeChat account they had suspended the manager for Qingdao's Metro Line 1. 

They will also fine the state-owned Gezhouba company after it was found to have illegally subcontracted parts of the project, which involved the power supply system to the line 1.  

The announcement came after Liu Feiyun, a former contractor involved in the power supply project, told media on Thursday that the construction had been substandard. 

In response, Qingdao Metro launched an investigation into the construction and announced on Friday that they had found problems of uneven laying of steel bars and uneven thickness of the concrete cushion. 

Gezhouba started installing the power supply for the line in March. Totaling 7.7 kilometers in length, 20 percent of the project has been completed, according to Qingdao Metro. 

Qingdao Metro said that it would rebuild the project to ensure its safety.   

According to Liu, the designed space between steel bars of the project is 20 centimeters but in reality, it is 23 or 25 centimeters. The pipes which protect the power cables are not thick enough, China Central Television reported. 

Such shoddy workmanship will have potentially severe consequences, such as a high risk of road collapse and electric shocks from exposed cables. "The extra-high voltage cables buried under the subway carry power as high as 35 kilovolts. The power cables would be damaged if the road collapses, and people could die if they touch them, especially when it rains," Liu said. 

Gezhouba subcontracted parts of the project to some other companies, including a Qingdao company called Shunyuanda. 

Shunyuanda again subcontracted the project to Liu's construction company, which is called Yuanwang. Liu told the media that he decided to blow the whistle on the construction problems due to payment issues with Shunyuanda. 

He also revealed that there were illegal behavior in the subcontracting process for the project.

In response, Gezhouba electronic power company told media that they have also launched their own investigation.