circuits: destination shanghai

SHANGHAI

Transport:

Shanghai has an excellent public transportation system and in contrast to other major Chinese cities has clean streets and surprisingly little air pollution (ranked 22nd best in the 2003 official report on air quality among 42 major cities in China, compared to 36th, 35th and 41th for Beijing, Tianjin and Chongqing respectively).

The public transportation system in Shanghai is flourishing: Shanghai has more than one thousand bus lines and the Shanghai Metro (subway) has four lines (numbers 1, 2, 3, 5) at present. According to the development schedule of the Government, by the year 2010, another 8 lines will be built in Shanghai.


Shanghai Metro:  Link to metro map

Lines:

  • Line 1, 21.4 km long, runs from Xin Zhuang to Shanghai Railway Station, and extends from Railway Station to Gongfu Xincun.
  • Line 2, 19.2 km long, runs from Zhongshan Park to Zhangjiang Hi-tech Industry Zone.
  • Pearlline 3, 25 km long, runs from Jiang Wan Town to Shanghai South Railway Station.
  • Xinmin Line 5, 17.2 km long, runs from Xin Zhuang to Minhang Development Zone.

Payment for the metro can be done by buying single journey tickets at a ticketing machine or ticket booth. Additionally a card can be bought called the Shanghai Public Transportation Card. This contactless card can be recharged at the ticket booths at the metro stations, but also at many small convenience shops troughout the city. It can also be used to pay at these same convenience shops, McDonalds and most forms of transportation like in the metro, public buses, taxis and ferries.

Buying the card costs 30 yuan, which is refunded if it is returned. Unfortunately the card will not give a discount like the Hongkong MTR Octopus Card, but it will allow you to avoid the often long queues in front of the ticket booths and there are special gates at some stations which can only be used with this card.

Stations:

The most important station of the Shanghai metro system at the moment is undoubtedly People's Square station (Line 1,Line 2). It is the transfer station for the north-south Line 1 and the east-west Line 2. 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, the Shanghai Grand Theatre and Yan'an Greens)

Xujiahui station (Line 1) is located at the major Xujiahui commercial centre 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 station's 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 centre 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 tallest building in mainland China. 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,Pearlline 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.

 

Getting There:

British Airways and Virgin Atlantic fly direct from London into Shangahi Pudong Airport, and China Eastern also operate direct services. Cathay Pacific connect via Hong Kong.

Pudong International Airport:

The airport is located in the eastern part of Pudong district of Shanghai, and opened on October 1, 1999, replacing Hongqiao Airport as Shanghai's international airport and taking over all of its international flights (including flights to Hong Kong and Macau). A second runway was opened on March 17, 2005. A second terminal is under construction and scheduled for completion by 2007. The long-term plan calls for a total of four terminals and four runways, for a final capacity of 80 million passengers per year.


Hongqaio International Airport:

The airport is in the western part of a still relatively urban area of Shanghai. Before the construction of Pudong, Hongqiao Airport served as Shanghai's main international airport.  It is closer to the circuit being on the western side of the city.

 

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