Shanghai Transportation

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Upon arriving at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport at the start of my week long visit in May 2008, I was faced with the choice of how I was going to make the 30km journey into the city centre.

Did I want to spend the best part of an hour in the back of a taxi, sitting in heavy commuter traffic, or did I want to reach the city in just 7 minutes on board The Maglev train; one of the fastest trains in the world? The decision was easy!

The Maglev runs between Pudong Airport and Longyang Road in Pudong (where it connects with the city’s metro line #2) frequently throughout the day. The first train from the airport to Longyang Road departs daily at 07:02 and the final train of the day departs from the airport at 21:32. In the opposite direction, the first train of the day departs from Longyang Road at 06:45 and the last one at 21:30. A full timetable can be found HERE.

The Maglev’s technology baffles me, but as far I can understand some sort of powerful electromagnetic suspension allows the train to “levitate” above the tracks and the train can consequently reach the high speeds that it does due to the lack of friction between the train and the tracks.

So, how fast does it go?

I had read before my trip that the Maglev is capable of speeds of up to 430km/h, so I was a little disappointed on my early morning (08:47) journey into the city when the train “only” reached 301km/h. I could tell that that was the maximum speed reached thanks to a digital display inside the train’s carriage which informs passengers of the current speed and time of the journey. At the end of my stay, on my return to the airport, the Maglev reached its maximum speed of 431km/h. I later read that the Maglev reaches a top speed of 300km/h before 9am and after 5pm and reaches a maximum speed of 430km/h between the hours of 9am and 5pm.

The train accelerates at a very rapid pace, reaching its top speed just a couple of minutes into the journey. It then spends the next 5 minutes gradually slowing down.

How much does it cost?

I would have expected this high speed journey to cost much more than it did. A one way ticket, as at May 2008, cost just 50 Yuan / 4 GBP, while a return ticket cost 80 Yuan / 6.50 GBP. Furthermore, if you present a flight ticket for that day when you purchase your ticket you get a 20% reduction, so a one way ticket costs just 40 Yuan.

The Maglev departs from Terminal 2 at Pudong Airport; this is a 10 minute walk from the arrivals hall in Terminal 1. The journey from the airport to Longyang Road is direct, with no stops en-route, and takes between 7 and 8 minutes depending on the time of day.

Tickets are purchased from desks at the airport and at Longyang Road and after purchasing a ticket you and your luggage must pass through a security screening area.

The train carriages have comfortable seating and ample space for luggage storage. In contrast to the city’s metro, the Maglev is uncrowded and you’ll have no problem finding an empty seat.

There are plans to extend the line from the airport to the city of Hangzhou (160km away from Shanghai) and, if complete by 2010 as some suggest, this would be the world’s first Maglev train to link two cities.

The world’s first commercial Maglev train – arrive in Shanghai at 430km/h! Highly recommended!

Web site for Shanghai Maglev train

This is what I got there.

1. Operation time:
At Longyang Road Station, operation time starts at 6:45 am and ends at 21:30 pm.
At Pudong Airport Station, operation time starts at 7:02 am and ends at 21:32 pm.

2. Ticket purchase:
2.1 Purchase time:
Passengers can get tickets at the Ticket Center on the day of taking the train.

Single trip ticket by presenting air-ticket of the same day (with the exception of electronic ticket and other vouchers) RMB40 instead of RMB80.

Ordinary single trip ticket of the day RMB50.

Ordinary round trip ticket of the same day RMB80.

getting around the shanghai always take a subway ...they have plenty of lines. minimum fare is 3Yuan.

From Pudong International Airport to Pudong Area you can take the bullet train or the MAGLEV, then transfer to subway going to the old area of Shanghai to getting around.

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Shanghai is served by two major airports, Pudong and Hongqiao. Choosing which one to use depends on which side of the Huangpu river you are staying. If you are staying on the Pudong side (the east side), then use Pudong Airport. If you are staying on the Puxi side (the west side), then use Hongqiao Airport. Pudong is the larger and newer of the two, but also the farthest from the city. Hongqiao is smaller and older, but closer the the central city.

The airport is the first thing that a traveler sees once he arrives in a foreign land. I guess you could say " first impressions last" and that often sets the tone for the trip ahead. With that in mind I have got to say that my trip started on the right foot once the plane landed. The first thing you will notice is the sheer size of the place. It was huuuuge! I was lucky enough that my airline was one of the few ones assigned to the new Terminal 2 of the Pudong airport which was only over a week old. The terminal itself was world class. Everything was clean and well lighted. Airport staff were on hand to direct us to the immigration section. What I was impressed while at the immigration desk was how fast they were able to check my passport and visas. The whole process from queuing to going past the desk was done in 5 minutes. I was also able to rate the service via a rating system located at beside the immigration officer. This gave me the chance to immediately rate their service. The facilities like the restrooms, restaurants, and shops were all top notch.

The only unpleasant part of arrival was the army of people offering taxis. I knew not to take these taxis since they often would charge out of meter which meant I would be paying much more if I did. These people were rather persistent and hounded my party even after politely declining.

This is best way to travel around Shanghai. It's cheap, fast and you don't need to deal with the language barrier which you may encounter with a cab or a bus. Just like any multi line metro system, you need to have a map of the whole system which you can pick up at your hotel or at the hotel. JUst know which station you are going to and figure out which line it's on and you are set.

Ticket vending machines are in English and all you need to do is touch the station you want to go on the screen and select the number of tickets you will purchase. Be sure to have coins or bills in small denominations to facilitate quick purchases.

The Metro is usually very crowded so you should be wary of people who might take advantage to pick you pocket so be carefull of your valuables.