The Shanghai Metro (上海地铁) is a metro system that serves the city of Shanghai. It currently has 4 lines:

• Line 1, 21.4 km long, runs from Xin Zhuang to Shanghai Railway Station , and extends from Railway Station to Gongfu New Estate.

• Line 2, 19.2 km long, runs from Zhong Shan Park to Zhangjiang Hi-tech Industry Zone.

• Line 3, 25 km long, runs from Jiang Wan Town to Shanghai South Railway Station.

• Line 5, 17.2 km long, runs from Xinzhuang to Minhang Development Zone.

In addition, the following lines are under construction or planning:

• Line 4, 22 km long, will be a circular line sharing part of its track with Line 3.

• Line 6, 28.8 km long, will run in Pudong from Waihuanlu to Gongchenglu.

• Line 7

• Line 8, 22.6 km long.

• Line 9, 35 km long, will run from Dongan Rd. to Song Jiang New City.

Fare system

Like many metro systems in the world, the fares on the Shanghai Subway (line 5 excepted) are distance based. fares range from 2 Yuan (approx US. $.025) for just three or four station stops to 6 Yuan from a terminus to another terminus. At the moment, only lines one and two are outfitted such that free transfer is possible. Line five uses a separate, fixed fare system, and line three is elevated, rather than underground as lines one and two are.

Stations of note

The most important station of the Shanghai metro system at the moment is undoubtedly People's Square station (Line 1,2). It is the transfer station for the north-south line one and the east-west line two. During peak hours, it is extremely crowded. During these times, people do not walk so much as they are just pushed along in a mass of travelers. It remains busy during the rest of the day, as it is located near major shopping and tourist destinations ( East Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, The Shanghai Museum, People's Park and the Bund)

Xujiahui station (Line 1) is located at the major Xujiahui commercial center of Shanghai. Six large shopping malls and eight large office towers are each within no more than a three minute walk of one of the stations fourteen exits (The largest number of any Shanghai Subway station). During peak hours, it, too, is crowded beyond belief.

Lujiazui station (Line 2) is the major stop in Pudong area. It is directly 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. So is the famous Jin Mao Tower, the second-tallest building in China, after the Taipei 101. By comparison to Xujiahui and People's Square, however, Lujiazui is not particularly busy during off-hours and weekends, as it is primarily used by those who commute to the district for work.

Shanghai Railway Station (Line 1,3) is a major transportation hub in Shanghai. It is not simply home to two subway lines. The railway station, of course, is there too, along with dozens of city bus lines and scores of interprovincial buses. These bus lines will soon be housed in a brand new bus station now under construction behind the train station.

Other information

Nearly every Shanghai subway station houses retailing of some kind. Usually this manifests itself in small stands selling phone cards or mobile phone number chips. However, there are also many newsstands, some stations having as many as three competing newsstands. Snack stations have become popular, too, along with some bookstores. The Xujiahui station is overflowing with commerce, housing three restaurants, a kai-ten sushi establishment, a salon, a shoe store, a bookstore, a teahouse, an art dealer, more than twenty trinket shops no larger than 20 square feet each and a half-kilometer long underground shopping arcade with dozens of stores, mostly selling women's and girls' clothing and shoes.

It is very unhelpful to conjure up images of the Japanese metro system when thinking of Shanghai. While the Japanese are exceedingly polite and deferential to each other when detraining and boarding, this is not true in Shanghai. The Chinese are deliberate and forceful, and pushing others out of your way is not considered rude. As soon as the doors to an arriving train open, all those inside and out push against each other in a vain attempt to be the first either on or off the train. It is a remarkably ineffective way to board and detrain. The metro authority is trying to discourage this practice with constant reminders to let passengers off the train before boarding ("First off, then on."), though they have had limited success.

External links

• Shanghai Subway Information on UrbanRail.net
• Shanghai Metro Map and Timetable