The proposed magnetic train line through Mentougou district in West Beijing - the so-called S1 Line - will not pose a threat to people living along the route, according to the latest environmental evaluation report released.

The 'maglev' line, which once raised concerns about possible radiation exposure, will not harm either people living near the tracks or the environment, said the eight-page abridged report released on Monday by the China Academy of Railway Sciences (CARS) on its official website.

"From the perspective of environmental protection, the construction project is feasible," said the report on what will be the nation's first medium-and-low-speed maglev line.

The report said the technology that will be used is quite mature and will be far different from earlier versions of the high-speed maglev train that caused problems in other countries.

Both radiation and the negative impact on the surrounding environment will be very minor and "will not cause radiation pollution", the document said.

The conclusion was based on tests of the experimental medium-and-low-speed maglev train carried out by a company in Tangshan city, Hebei province.

Negative impacts on the environment will be mainly found during the construction phase, said the document. These may include possible noise pollution, polluted water and ash.

The report said the negative impacts will diminish after construction is complete.

The project once stirred serious concern among residents living near the proposed route. The worries surfaced in May when the draft plan was released.

It was reported earlier that more than 300 residents living in the Bisenli community and nearby communities in Mentougou district signed a petition opposing the proposed line.

The report's writers have not yet received any feedback from the public, according to Liu Jingru, a staff member at CARS.

Liu said public comments will be welcome until Aug 13.

Residents interviewed by METRO on Tuesday said they had not been informed about the release of the report.

Li Qiaoying, who has lived in the Bisenli community since 2004 and who was among those who signed the petition, said she did not realize the report had been completed. She said she will read it and talk to neighbors before forming an opinion.

But she still had concerns.

"They have to take all the possibilities into consideration because there are not only residential communities located near the tracks, there are also some kindergartens and primary schools that are not far from the proposed line," she told METRO.

Construction of the maglev line is expected to cost 6.42 billion yuan and wrap up in 2013.

When the public comment period closes, CARS plans to discuss the observations and submit a final document to the relevant government department - the department of environmental protection, the Beijing Times reported.

Gao Yougang, a Beijing-based college professor and expert on environmental electromagnetism told METRO earlier that a clear standard for what is considered to be a safe distance from the radiation of a maglev train has not yet been reached.

China, so far, has no national law in place concerning safe levels of radiation, he added.