Shanghai Metro

Shanghai Metro 上海轨道交通
Info
Owner	Shanghai Shentong Metro Group
Locale	Shanghai, China
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	12 (excluding Maglev)
Number of stations	269 [note 1]
Daily ridership	4.78 million daily (2010)[2]
Operation
Began operation	1995
Operator(s)	Shanghai No.1-No.4 Metro Operation Company (4 Companies share similar names)
Technical
System length	420 km (261.0 mi)[3] （excluding Shanghai Maglev line）[note 2]
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)

The Shanghai Metro is the urban rapid transit system of China's largest city, Shanghai. The system incorporates both subway (地铁) and 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 twelve metro lines (excluding the Shanghai Maglev Train), 268 stations^{[note 1]} and over 420 km of tracks in operation,^[3] making it the longest network in the world.^[4] Daily ridership averaged 3.56 million in 2009 and set a record of 6.46 million on July 6, 2010.^[5]

In the six months leading up to the opening of Expo 2010 on May 1, 2010, the Shanghai Metro has undergone major expansion with several new lines and extensions opening. The system is still growing, more new lines and extensions are under construction, and plans through 2020 project a system comprising 22 lines and 877 km of length.

Recent expansion

In the six months leading up to the opening of Expo 2010 on May 1, 2010, the Shanghai Metro has undergone major expansion:

• Line 2, with separate sections opening on February 24, March 16, and April 8, 2010, is now over 63 km in total length and connects both of the city's airports -- Hongqiao and Pudong.
• Line 7 opened on December 5, 2009
• Line 9's Yishan Road to Century Avenue section opened on Dec. 31, 2009, followed by the extension to Middle Yanggao Road on April 7, 2010.
• Line 10 opened on April 10, 2010.
• Line 11 opened on December 31, 2009 and the Anting Branch followed on March 29, 2010.
• Line 13 opened on April 20, 2010.^[6]

Lines and Stations

Lines

Stations

Map of Shanghai Metro

Interchanges

There are two types of interchange stations: physical interchange and virtual interchange stations. In a physical interchange station, passengers can transfer between subway lines without exiting a fare zone. In a virtual interchange station, however, passengers have to exit and re-enter fare zones as they transfer from one subway line to another. In order to receive a discounted fare, passengers must use a Shanghai Public Transportation Card (SPTC) instead of Single-Ride tickets.

Physical Interchange Stations

Below is a list of physical interchange stations. Italic font denotes that a station is also a virtual interchange station on that particular line.

Notes

• Baoshan Road, Shanghai Railway Station, Zhongtan Road, Zhenping Road, Caoyang Road, Jinshajiang Road, Zhongshan Park, West Yan'an Road and Hongqiao Road are interchanges between Lines 3 and 4. This is where the two lines overlap together on one route between Baoshan Road and Hongqiao Road.
• Lines 4 and 6 both stop at Pudian Road, but these two stations are not located together and interchanging is not possible.
• Longyang Road and Pudong International Airport stations also provide transfers to the Shanghai Maglev Train, though passengers have to make another payment if they board the Maglev train.

Virtual Interchange Stations

Passengers exit the station at Boxing Road.

A virtual interchange station is a station where two lines meet, but unlike a physical interchange, there is no direct linkway between them. Passengers thus have to leave the station (that serves one line) and re-enter it (that serves another line) if they wanted to transfer to another line.

On June 1, 2008, Shanghai Metro began utilizing a new interchange ticketing system for virtual interchanges. Passengers using a Shanghai Public Transportation Card will receive discounted transfer fares at three virtual interchange stations. Before, passengers had to purchase new tickets in order to use another metro line if no physical interchange was available. In contrast, passengers usually use one single-ride ticket to interchange between different metro lines where physical interchange stations are available and receive fares based on accumulated distance. Under this new scheme, passengers using a Shanghai Public Transportation Card will pay the same fare to transfer at a virtual interchange station as they would at a physical interchange based on accumulated distance. However, a passenger must exit a station and re-enter another within 30 minutes by using the same Shanghai Public Transportation Card, otherwise no special transfer fares will be applied.

This system is currently temporary, and after the interchange connections within these stations are completed, the stations will become physical interchange stations.

• Shanghai Railway Station is a virtual interchange station between Line 1 and Line 3 or Line 4, but passengers do not need to re-enter if they transfer between Line 3 and Line 4.
• Hongkou Stadium is a virtual interchange station between Line 3 and Line 8.
• Yishan Road is a virtual interchange station between Line 4 and Line 3, Line 4 and Line 9. Travellers using a Single-Ride Ticket can also transfer to Line 4 from Lines 3 or 9 by taking a Line 3 train to Hongqiao Road station.
• South Shaanxi Road is currently a virtual interchange station between Line 1 and Line 10 due to complications with constructions on Line 12.^[7]

Stations of note

The Shanghai Science and Technology Museum station on Line 2.

A station on Line 3.

The busiest station in Shanghai Metro system is People's Square station (Lines 1, 2 and 8). As the interchange station for three lines, 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. It has the second most number of exits (totalling 17) in the stations of the metro system.

Xujiahui station (Lines 1 and 9) 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 exits, numbering a total of 18 since the addition of the four in the Line 9 part of the station that opened in December 2009. This is the largest number of exits of all the stations on the system. This station is also widely used as a pedistrian tunnel across the wide roads.

Lujiazui station (Line 2) is the major station in Pudong area. It is situated in the heart of Lujiazui financial district, the financial center of Shanghai. The city's iconic landmarks, the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Jin Mao Tower and Shanghai World Financial Centre are all within walking distance of the station. In contrast to Xujiahui and People's Square, Lujiazui is not particularly busy during off-peak hours or at weekends as it is located in financial district of Shanghai.

Shanghai Railway Station (Lines 1, 3 and 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. The line 1 platform is in the South square while platforms for line 3/4 are 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 (Lines 2, 3 and 4) is a heavily trafficked station due to the large shopping malls and hotel immediately above it.

Century Avenue Station (Lines 2, 4, 6 and 9) is the largest interchange station in the Shanghai Metro system.

Pudong International Airport (Line 2) - the eastern terminus of Line 2. It serves the airport of the same name in Shanghai. The station also provides a transfer with the Shanghai Maglev Train to Longyang Road.

Shibo Avenue (Line 13) - the station that serves the main entrance of the Shanghai Expo.

Ticket system

Passengers waiting for a train at Huangxing Road on Line 8

Like many other metro systems in the world, Shanghai Metro uses a distance-based fare system. As of September 15, 2005, after Shanghai Municipal Government raised the price, fares range from 3 yuan for journeys under 6 km, to 10 yuan for journeys over 66 km.

As of December 25, 2005, Shanghai uses a "one-ticket network", which means that interchanging is possible between all interchange stations without the purchase of another ticket where available. In the event of riding beyond the value of your ticket, you may pay the difference at a Service Center near the main turnstiles.

Since June 1, 2008, users of the Shanghai Public Transportation Card can interchange at Shanghai Railway Station, Yishan Road and Hongkou Stadium without paying another base fare. (see section on virtual interchange stations above).

Fares

• For most lines, the base fare is 3 yuan (US$0.45) for journeys under 6 km, then 1 yuan for each additional 10 km. As of April 2010, the highest fare is 10 yuan (US$1.5).
• For journeys exclusively on Line 5 (Xinzhuang - Minhang Development Zone), the fare is 2 yuan for journeys under 6 km and all other journeys are 3 yuan (though the total length of this line is a bit longer than 16 km).
• Users of the Shanghai Public Transportation Card get a 10% discount for the rest of the calendar month after paying 70 yuan. The discount is applied only for journeys after the payment; it is not retroactively applied to previous journeys.
• Users of the Shanghai Public Transportation Card as part of the "Air-conditioned Bus Transfer Discount" get a 1 yuan discount when transferring to the metro within 90 minutes. (The 10% monthly discount may be applied after the transfer discount) This discount also applies for bus->Metro and bus<->bus transfers and can accumulate over multiple transfers. For example- to get from Zhenbei Rd/Meichuan Rd to Xiuyan Rd/Hunan Rd would normally cost 8 yuan each way (947 bus->line 4->451 bus) but only costs 6 RMB with the card (947 bus-(discount applied)>line 4-(discount applied)>451 bus). Depending on the time spent at the destination the discount will be applied at the start of the return trip as well, making the cost of a round-trip 11 yuan over the 16 yuan that would normally be charged without the card.
• Seniors over 70 years of age can take the metro for free (except during rush hours, 7-9am and 5-7pm on weekdays) by using their social security cards (also RFID-embedded) at a special turnstile at each metro station.

Single-Ride Ticket

Single-ride tickets can be purchased from ticket vending machines or at a ticket window. Some new stations only have ticket vending machines available. Single-ride tickets are embedded with RFID contactless chips. When entering the system you tap the ticket against a scanner above the turnstile, and on exit you insert the ticket into a slot where it is stored and recycled. Single-Ride Ticket is the only ticket-form used in Shanghai Metro, no Round-Trip or Excursion Pass are available so far.

Transit Card

In addition to a Single-Ride ticket, fare can be paid using a Shanghai Public Transportation Card. This RFID-embedded card can be purchased at selected banks, convenience stores and metro stations with a 20-yuan deposit. This card can be loaded at ticket booths, Service Centers at the metro stations as well as many small convenience stores and banks 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 and the Octopus card of Hong Kong's MTR.

One Day Pass

A One Day Pass was introduced for the Expo 2010 held in Shanghai. The fare for the calendar day was set at 18 yuan, for unlimited travel within the metro system. This is not available through vending machines, but has to be purchased at Service Centers at metro stations.^[8]

Retail

Nearly 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 cellphones. Newsstands are also available in many stations. Snack shops and convenience stores have become popular, along with bookstores. ATMs can be found in most downtown stations and even some suburban ones. Almost all stations have stands to distribute free newspaper in every weekdays' morning, starting from 7:30.

Technology

Glass doors have been installed on subway platforms, such as this one at Xujiahui.

Inside a Line 2 train.

General line

The standard gauge is used throughout the network, allowing new train equipment to be transported over the Chinese rail network which uses the same gauge.

Stations

Accessibility facilities for the disabled are available at a few stations. Many stations in the newest Lines 4 and 7 as well as Line 6, 8, and 9 have a safety wall with sliding acrylic glass safety doors at the platform edge. The train stops with its doors lined-up with the sliding doors on the platform edge and open when the train doors open, and are 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. On the People's Square Station of Line 2, the platform has sliding safety doors that reach only halfway up from the ground.

Rolling Stock

Cars used by the Metro system:

• 60 Bombardier Movia 456 six car sets - Line 1 and 5
• 37 German Shanghai Metro Group (GSMG) six cars units - Line 1 and 2
• 28 Alstom Metropolis six car sets - Line 3
• 168 Alstom Metropolis (19 eight car sets)
• 152 Alstom Metropolis (18 eight car sets)

For five-digit car-numbers, the first two digits represent the year of manufacture. For six-digit car numbers the first two digit represent the line on which it is assigned to operate.

Power Supply

In 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 Line 2, Siemens Transportation Systems equipped the line with an overhead contact line (cantilever material: galvanized steel) and 7 DC traction power supply substations.^[9]

Passenger Information Systems

Plasma screens on the platforms show passengers when the next two trains are coming (usually one every five minutes or less except on lines 6, 8, and 9 where intervals may be nearly 10 minutes even during peak times), 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. The LED screens are being phased in on Line 1 and are also included in lines 7 and 9, two underground lines. There are recorded messages stating the next stop in Mandarin and English, but the messages stating nearby attractions or shops for a given station (a form of paid advertising) are in Mandarin only. The paid advertising is being phased out.

Station signs are in Chinese and English, but the English letters are much smaller than the Chinese characters. Due to problems identifying stations for foreigners, the Metro's authority plans to put in wide use a numbering system that is now being tested on Line 10.^[10]

Unified numbering system

Due to the inconsistency in naming of early lines, lines have been renamed in a unified system:

• Line 1 - Former name Metro Line 1, Planned name R1.
• Line 2 - Former name Metro Line 2, Planned name R2.
• Line 3 - Former name Pearl Line, Planned name M3, often mistakenly known as "Light Rail" because it is the first elevated railway.
• Line 4 - Former name Pearl Line Phase 2, Planned name M4.
• Line 5 - Former name Xin Min Line, Planned name R1a. First surface light rail.
• Line 6 - Former name Pudong Light Rail, Planned name L4.
• Line 7 - Planned name M7.
• Line 8 - Former name Yangpu Line, Planned name M8.
• Line 9 - Former name Shensong Line, Planned name R4.
• Line 10 - Planned name M1.
• Line 11 - Planned name R3.
• Line 12 - Planned name M2.
• Line 13 - Planned name M5.
• Line 14 - Planned name M6.
• Line 15 - Planned name L1.
• Line 16 - Planned name L2.
• Line 17 - Planned name L3.
• Line 18 - Planned name L5.

R line means it is a subway line that connects the CBD to a suburb.
M line means it is a subway line that runs within the CBD only.
L line means it is a surface light railway line.

Operators

Four companies operate the Shanghai Metro network. Each of them are subdivisions of Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Co.,Ltd.

• Shanghai No.1 Metro Operation Co., Ltd. manages Lines 1, 5, 9 and 10.
• Shanghai No.2 Metro Operation Co., Ltd. manages Lines 2, 11 and 13.
• Shanghai No.3 Metro Operation Co., Ltd. manages Lines 3, 4 and 7 and will also manage Line 21.
• Shanghai No.4 Metro Operation Co., Ltd. manages Lines 6 and 8 and will also manage Line 12.

Future expansion

The Shanghai Metro system is 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. According to the latest report , by the end of 2020 the network will comprise of 22 lines spanning 877 km.

Shanghai Metro Long Term Plan (Projected Completion 2050)

(This table is ordered by Planned Open Time)

History

• On December 29, 2007, lines 6, 8 and 9 along with the extension to lines 1 ^[20] and 4^[21] entered into operation at the same time during a ceremony at the newly-built interchange hall of People's Square.^[22][23]
• In July 2009, the South Extension of Line 8, between Yaohua Road and the Aerospace Museum, is opened for public use.
• On December 5, 2009, the first phase of Line 7 enters operation.^[24]
• On December 31, 2009, the east extension of Line 9 and Phase 1 of Line 11 enter operation.
• On February 24, 2010, the first two stations on the east extension of Line 2 are opened.
• In March 2010, the west extension of Line 2 and the branch line of Line 11 enter operation.
• On April 8, 2010, the remaining stations on the east extension of Line 2 are opened, connecting the metro system with the Pudong International Airport.^[25]
• On April 10, 2010, the first phase of Line 10 enters operation.^[7]

Incident

On December 22, 2009, at about 5:50 am, an electrical fault in the tunnel between South Shaanxi Road and People's Square stations caused a few trains to stall. While the track was under repair, a collision occurred between two opposite trains on Line 1, trapping scores of passengers underground for up to 2 hours and affecting millions of early commuters. Fortunately, nobody was injured, as the trains collided at low speed, although the front of the train was badly damaged. Service resumed at around 12:15 pm.^{[26] [27]}

See also

• List of Shanghai Metro stations
• List of metro systems
• Metro systems by annual passenger rides
• Shanghai Maglev Train

Notes

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} 269 is the number of stations if interchanges on different lines are counted separately, with the exception of the 9 stations shared by Lines 3 and 4 on the same tracks. If all interchanges are counted as single stations, the number of stations will be 234.^[1] The two stations on the Maglev Line are not counted in both cases.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Although the Maglev is considered as part of the Shanghai Metro network, its length and number of stations are not included in the attributes.
3. ↑ Currently, Line 2 has two sections running separately: the section west of Guanglan Road towards Hongqiao Airport is served by 8-carriaged trains that run at 5-minute intervals; while the section east of Guanglan Road towards Pudong International Airport is served by 4-carriaged trains that run at 13-minute intervals from 9 am to 4 pm. Any trips that bypass Guanglan Road station requires passengers to transfer to the opposite platform at the station.
4. ↑ Line 13 is server for EXPO only, the whole openning seciton is located in EXPO Park. Madang Road Station of Line 13 also act as an entrance of EXPO Park (No.9 Entrance). You only can take the Line 13 train after security and ticket check at Madang Road or other EXPO Park entrance. The Line 13 is free to ride.

References

• Shanghai Daily [6] Subway taxies toward airport, 2007-7-26.
• Robert Schwandl. "Shanghai Metro". UrbanRail.net. http://www.urbanrail.net/as/shan/shanghai.htm. Retrieved 2007-12-28. 

External links

• Official Shanghai Metro Portal Site
• Shanghai Shentong Metro Group Company
• Shanghai Metro Club
• Shanghai Subway Information on UrbanRail
• Shanghai Metro Map and Timetable
• Glass Doors Installed in Shanghai Metro
• Shanghai Metro Map
• Explore Shanghai Metro

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