Shanghai Transportation

Like many of Asia’s major cities, Shanghai has an extensive Metro system, connecting many parts of the city and offering extremely good value fares.

At the time of my visit in May 2008, the Shanghai Metro had 8 functioning lines, with more lines planned for the future.

During the course of my stay, I found Line 2 to be the most convenient for my travel needs and most of my Metro journeys were along various parts of this route.

Line 2 runs from Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in the east to Songhong Road in the west. Some of the key stops along this route are:

* Longyang Road (where the Metro meets with the Maglev train that runs to and from Pudong International Airport);

* Lujiazui (on the Pudong side of the river, a short walk from the Oriental Pearl Tower);

* Nanjing Road East (right in the middle of Shanghai’s busiest shopping and entertainment street and just a short walk from the Bund);

* People’s Square (here, Line 2 connects with Lines 1 and 8 at what is one of Shanghai’s busiest Metro interchanges);

* Nanjing Road West (the closest station to the hotel that I stayed at, and just a short walk from the large malls of Nanjing Road West and the bars and restaurants of the Jing’an area).

My first journey on the Metro was when I first arrived in the city. Having caught the Maglev train from Pudong Airport to Longyang Road, I connected to the Metro and made my way to the Nanjing Road West station near my hotel.

The Metro is very easy to use and I never had any problems buying tickets or finding my way to where I needed to be.

Tickets can be purchased from machines at all Metro stations. Some of the machines take both notes and coins, while others take only coins. There are often queues at the machines, especially at peak times, although the coin-only machines are generally less busy.

On the machines, there is a button for English instructions if you require them. You will then be presented with an interactive screen on which you just have to press the appropriate buttons to select the line number and then the station name of your intended destination. The fare will be automatically calculated.

Fares are very reasonable. I believe that all journeys under 6km are 3 Yuan (0.25 GBP), increasing by just 1 Yuan for each additional 10km. The most I ever paid for a journey was 4 Yuan (from Longyang Road to Nanjing Road West), while all my other journeys cost 3 Yuan (including journeys which involved a change from Line 2 to Line 1 at People’s Square).

Having put your money into the ticket machine you will receive the relevant change and a boarding card. You must swipe the boarding card at the turnstiles in order to gain access to the train platforms. At the end of your journey, insert your card into a slot in the turnstiles to exit the platform.

All stations are well signposted with directions in both Mandarin and English. There are large maps on the walls and alongside the platforms showing the current station and the other stations in each direction along that line. You really can’t go far wrong and the chances of you getting on the wrong train are minimal. I would advise printing a route map out and taking it to Shanghai with you, just to familiarise yourself with the various lines and the important interchanges. A quick Google Image search will give you a good selection of maps to choose from.

Trains are very frequent throughout the day. I never had to wait more than 5 minutes for the next train to come along and, on most occasions, a train arrived within a minute or two of me arriving on the platform. Despite the frequency of the trains, they get very busy, especially during peak times and at major stations. I only managed to find a seat on one occasion, while most of my other journeys involved me standing by the door, holding onto a rail with just a few inches of breathing space! All stops are announced in both Mandarin and English and there are digital displays inside the carriages showing the upcoming station name.

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