Amsterdam's metro is relatively modern and designed to connect outlying suburbs to the city, rather than transporting passengers around it. Despite this it can be extremely fast for particular journeys (Centraal Station to the Stopera, for example) and prices are reasonable. Routes and timetables can be found on the www.gvb.nl site. The first line began operations in 1977 and there are now three lines: Eastern (lines 53 and 54), Amstelveen (line 51) and Ring (line 50) with a fourth – the north/south line (line 52) - due to open in 2013. This 9.5 km route will connect Amsterdam North with Zuidas and Zuid/WTC area and there will be eight stations en route, some in the city centre. The metro is the first form of pubic transport to use the OV-chipkaart, a public transport smart card that will be universally used by 1 January 2009. These can be bought in either an anonymous or personalised version (you fill in an application form) from stations or the GVB offices.