(Yicai Global) April 8 -- Jinan, capital of China's Shandong province, has officially opened the first line of its subway system, the country's first to feature 3D facial recognition at ticket gates.

Passengers can download the Jinan Metro app for their smartphones and input their facial profile via the handset's camera, the 21st Century Business Herald reported today. They can then simply scan their face at the gate when entering the station and pass through within a matter of seconds.

About 30 to 40 passengers can pass through the gate every minute, a staff member at Jinan Rail Transit Group said, adding that the technology makes operations far more efficient.

Line 1 is the first of eight planned for the northeastern city's underground transit system. It spans 26.3 kilometers and has 11 stations in total.

Ticket gate cameras on the line feature disguise-detecting technologies which allows them to recognize fraudulent attempts to pass through, such as people trying to scan photos or videos or wear masks. The false acceptance rate is just one in a million, according to the report.

Editor: James Boynton