Seville, Spain  - Seville became the first southern Spanish mainland city to get an underground on Thursday, as the first of a planned four lines started functioning.

The line measuring 18 kilometres links north-western Seville with the southeast.

The construction of the subway, which is estimated to cost 600 million euros (800 million dollars), is running more than two years late of schedule. Media reports attributed the delay to unexpected problems caused by short-term planning.

Seville, with 700,000 residents, is the sixth Spanish city to get an underground after Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao and Palma de Majorca. (dpa)