A man selects newspapers at a newspaper stand located in Tiantandongmen Station on Beijing Subway Line 5 on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. [Photo: Xinhua]

Newspaper sales in some Beijing subway stations resumed on Wednesday, four months after newspaper vendors were banned amid health and safety concerns.

Xinhua News Agency reported that a total of 19 stations on Lines 4, 5 and 10 resumed newspaper sales on Wednesday. Passengers can get free copies of Beijing Star Daily at these stations and buy other newspapers such as Beijing Daily and The Beijing News.

The chosen stations have large halls and allow for easy escape in case of emergencies. More stations are expected to reinstate newspaper sales under the guidance of experts, according to the Beijing Subway Company.

Newspaper and magazine sales were banned on Beijing subway lines in January, as transport police said that selling newspapers in crowded subway stations was a potential hazard. The ban was quickly criticized and many passengers complained about its inconvenience.