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The Shanghai Metro is the urban rapid transit system of China's largest city, Shanghai. The system incorporates both subway (地铁) and elevated light railway (轻轨) lines. It opened in 1995, making Shanghai the third city in Mainland China, after Beijing and Tianjin, to have a subway. Since then, the Shanghai Metro has become one of the newest and fastest-growing rapid transit systems in the world. Today, there are eight metro lines, 162 stations and 225 km of tracks in operation, making it the longest network in China, exceeding even the Hong Kong MTR. Daily ridership averaged 2.19 million in 2007 and set a record of 3.82 million on April 30, 2008.[2] The system is still growing with more new lines and extensions under construction or planned to be built. The latest additions came on December 29, 2007, when Lines 6, 8 and 9 along with the extension to Lines 1[3] and 4[4], entered into operation at the same time, with a ceremony at the newly-built interchange hall of People's Square.[5][6]
Lines
Line 9 is currently the only line that does not connect to any other line. When the second phase is complete, this line will be linked to Yishan Road on Line 3. Since this phase has not been completed yet, a Line 3 - Line 9 shuttle currently runs from Guilin Road to Yishan Road. Interchanges
There are two types of interchange stations in the metro system: Physical Interchange Stations, which are stations where transferring between subway lines is possible at these stations without exiting and re-entering. In Re-Enter Interchange Stations, passengers must exit and re-enter the paid fare zone if they wish to transfer from one subway line to another. This is only possible with a SPTC. Physical Interchange Stations
Re-Enter Interchange Stations
Beginning June 1, 2008, the Shanghai Metro introduced a new interchange ticketing system. In this new system, three considered interchange stations will become interchange stations for users of the Shanghai Public Transportation Card. However, re-entry needs to occur within 30 minutes of exiting or the interchange will be treated as a standard exit/enter. Fares will be the same for single-journey ticket users, but they will need to find an equivalent physical interchange station. If the user of a single-journey ticket exits at any of these stations, a second paid ticket is needed to re-enter, but if a passenger has the Shanghai Public Transportation Card, distance will accumulate and will be treated the same as a physical interchange. One example of this is from Chifeng Road of Line 3 to Quyang Road of Line 8. The current non-exit fare is 5 yuan (Line 3-Zhongshan Park-Line 2-People's Square-Line 8), while the re-enter fare is 6 yuan (Line 3-Chifeng Road-Hongkou Stadium, 3 yuan plus Line 8 Hongkou Stadium-Quyang Road 3 yuan). After the new system is introduced, the fare will decrease to 3 yuan. For Shanghai Public Transportation Card users, they can use Line 3 to Hongkou Stadium, exit and re-enter in Line 8 to Quyang Road. Single Journey Card users still need use the route Line 3-Zhongshan Park-Line 2-People's Square-Line 8, but the fare is 3 yuan. If single journey card users exit and re-enter in Hongkou Stadium, they still need to pay 6 yuan.[7] This system is currently temporary, and after the interchange connection within these stations are completed, the stations will become Physical Interchanges.
Ticket system
Like many metro systems in the world, the fares on the Shanghai Subway are distance based. As of September 15, 2005, when the Shanghai government raised them, fares ranged from 3 yuan (approx USD $0.375) for journeys under 6 km, to 8 yuan for journeys over 46 km. As of December 25, 2005, Shanghai uses a "one ticket network", which means free interchange between all lines without purchase of another ticket. However, as of May 2007, you will still need two tickets to interchange between lines 1 and 3 in Shanghai Railway Station. Since June 1, 2008, users of the Shanghai Public Transportation Card can interchange at Shanghai Railway Station, Yishan Road and Hongkou Stadium without buying another ticket. Fares
Single ticketsSingle journey tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines or at a ticket window. The new stations on Line 4 and Line 2 West extension part only use ticket vending machines. Transit CardApart from the single ticket, payment for the journey can be made by buying a Shanghai Public Transportation Card. This contactless card can be bought for a refundable fee of 30(20 after Nov,2007) yuan at convenience stores and metro stations. There are also special edition cards for a non-refundable 20 yuan. Only some stations can refund the card fee (Jiangsu Road on Line 2 for example). This card can be recharged at ticket booths situated at the metro stations as well as many small convenience shops throughout the city. The Shanghai Public Transportation Card can also be used to pay for other forms of transportation, such as taxi or bus. This transit card is similar to the Chicago card of the CTA, the SmarTrip of the Washington Metro, and the Octopus card of Hong Kong's MTR . Stations of note
The busiest station in the Shanghai metro system is People's Square station (Line 1, Line 2, Line 8). As the interchange station for the north-south Line 1, the east-west Line 2, and the Yangpu District Line 8 it is extremely crowded during peak hours. It remains busy during the rest of the day, as it is located near major shopping and tourist destinations such as Nanjing Road (E.) Pedestrian Street as well as the Shanghai Museum, People's Park, the Shanghai Grand Theatre and Yan'an Park on People's Square. Xujiahui station (Line 1) is located in the major Xujiahui commercial center of Shanghai. Six large shopping malls and eight large office towers are each within a three-minute walk of one of the station's fourteen exits (eight of which are closed off in preparation for linking with line 9), the largest number of exits of any Shanghai Subway station. Lujiazui station (Line 2) is the major stop in Pudong area. It is situated in the heart of Lujiazui financial district, the developing financial center of Shanghai. The city's new symbol, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, is within walking distance of the station, as is the Jin Mao Tower, the tallest building in mainland China. Compared to Xujiahui and People's Square, Lujiazui is not particularly busy during off-peak hours or at weekends as it is used primarily by those who commute to the district for work. Shanghai Railway Station (Line 1, Line 3 and Line 4) is a major transportation hub in Shanghai, containing the railway station, two subway lines and the stop for many city bus lines as well as interprovincial buses. These bus lines will soon be housed in a brand new bus station currently under construction behind the train station. The line 1 platform is in the South square while the line 3/4 platform is in the North square. These two platforms are technically separate stations, so interchange is only possible between lines 3/4. A transfer to the line 1 platform requires a SPTC or a new ticket. Zhongshan Park Station (Line 2, Line 3 and Line 4) is no longer the western terminus of Line 2, but remains a heavily trafficked station. Shiji Avenue Station (Line 2 , Line 4 , and Line 6): The largest interchange station. RetailNearly every Shanghai subway station houses retailing of some kind. Many are small kiosks selling a variety of telephony products such as telephone calling cards, mobile phone SIM cards, or new telephones. There are also newsstands, with some stations having as many as three competing vendors. Snack shops have become popular, along with bookstores. ATMs can be seen in some downtown stations. Criticism
The subway during rush hours is extremely crowded. To deal with congestion and passenger safety, platform screen doors are being fitted to platforms. Some transfers are inconvenient. For example, stations that share the same name on different lines are often hundreds of meters apart. Transferring between different lines frequently requires walking through numerous tunnels. In many stations, the retail section would appear to dominate the station concourse. The Xujiahui station houses dozens of stores, mostly selling women's and girls' clothing and shoes. The result can be disorientating for casual visitors attempting to access the platforms. The only other stations with such a shopping selection are Shanghai Railway station (in the transfer corridor) and the Milan Plaza arcade in Zhongshan Park station. The Metro operators have responded to some criticism. For example, in the People's Square station, the transfer corridor between two lines has been stripped of retail space and shortened to deal with congestion and reduce the hassle for commuters. Technology
General lineStandard gauge is used throughout the network, allowing new metro equipment to be transported over the Chinese rail network which uses the same gauge. StationsAccessibility facilities for the disabled are available at all stations. Sliding acrylic glass safety doors exist on platforms on the newest Line 4 as well as Line 6, 8, and 9. These open as the train approaches and remain closed at other times. These screens are also being retrofitted on existing lines, starting with Line 1 whose core stations had doors by the end of 2006. Rolling StockCars used by the Metro system:
The first two numbers of each car represent the last two digits of the year that it was built (for example, car 00071 was built in 2000 and car 060201 was built in 2006). Power SupplyIn contrast to many other metro systems in the world, the Shanghai metro uses overhead wires for the power supply, probably due to its use of a 1500 volt DC system which is twice the voltage generally used for third rails. On metro line 2, Siemens Transportation Systems equipped the line with an overhead contact Line (cantilever material: galvanized steel) and 7 DC traction power supply substations. [8] Passenger Information SystemsPlasma screens on the platforms show passengers when the next two trains are coming (usually one every five minutes or less), along with advertisements and public service announcements. The subway cars contain LCD screens showing advertisements and on some lines, the next stop, while above-ground trains have LED screens showing the next stop. There are recorded messages stating the next stop in Mandarin and English, but the messages stating nearby attractions/shops for a given stop (a form of paid advertising) are in Mandarin only (this is being phased out). OperatorsTwo companies operate the Shanghai Metro network, they are both sub-groups of Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co.,Ltd.
Future ExpansionThe Shanghai Metro system is the one of the fastest growing metro systems in the world. Many lines are under construction or planned to be constructed in the near future. After the completion of these lines, a uniform numbering system will be put in place. The length of the metro network will reach over 500 km in length in 2010. Lines Under Construction and In Planning
Planned unified numbering systemDue to the inconsistency in naming of early lines, plans are underway to rename all lines in a unified system:
R line means it is a subway line that connects the CBD to a suburb. See alsoReferencesShanghai Daily[4] Subway taxies toward airport, 2007-7-26 Robert Schwandl. "Shanghai Metro". UrbanRail.net. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
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