Shanghai metro

[simbi]

Hi

Can any of you people living in Shanghai tell me what it's like travelling on the metro in Shanghai? is there a rush hour - Is it totally crazy? Would I be better off trying to live nearer to my workplace?

Thanks

[malinuo]

I don't live there, but I've been to Shanghai a few times. There are rush hours, like in any big city, but it was not crazy. I actually think it was more pleasant that the subway in New York or the underground in London in rush hour. I have a friend who read the entire "A la recherche du temps perdu" commuting in the metro of Paris. I doubt you will be able to do that in Shanghai, but you can at least listen to some music or language courses in your mp3-player as you travel.

[ala]

Because subway in Shanghai is not the primary form of transportation (primary transportation is bus and taxi), it's not bad at all during non-rush hour. Rush hour can get pretty crammed, but it's the same as what you see in NYC or Chicago.

Shanghai's metro stations are clean, the subway cars are quiet and air-ride, much more enjoyable than American subways, but you will be standing during rush hour because the cars were designed with limited side seats.

Prices vary depending on distance, from ¥3 (under 6km) to ¥8 (full length, ~50km).

[wushijiao]

The Shanghai Metro can be the most crowded thing that I've ever seen in my life, with tremendous amounts of pushing. With that said, during rush hour, I think it is much faster than traveling by car or bus.

If you have a choice, even though it can get pretty crowded, I'd still recommend living near either line 1 or 2 because a lot of the city's best places are along those two lines. Most people I know are fairly happy with the effeciency and speed of the Shanghai Metro.

By the way, they just re-organized the ticket system. First, they raised prices (but for 4RMB you can go further than before). Second, the Pearl line is now on the same ticket as Lines 1 and 2, which is a good thing. Also, as of Jan 1st, they added another line that does a loop over the northern part of the city.

One thing to keep in mind, if you live above the Shanghai train station on line 1, like I used to, only one in three trains goes up that far. That means those trains can get extremely crowded.

[simbi]

Thanks for all the info. That's just what I needed.