Chengdu has started constructing the country's first urban earthquake early warning system, local authorities announced Wednesday.

Early warnings will be publicized through a variety of channels, including local television stations, mobile phone messages and the Internet.

The information will also be provided to subway and high-speed railway authorities.

The warning system is part of the second phase of an earthquake intensity rapid-reporting project in Chengdu, a pilot program approved by China Earthquake Administration following a magnitude-8 quake that struck Wenchuan in Sichuan Province in 2008.

There is no exact timetable for the completion of the system.

Fifty-seven quake early warning stations are scheduled to be completed within this year.

With a population of 11 million, the city includes 20 districts and county-level cities, covering a total area of 12,390 square kilometers.