The System Of Transportation In Shanghai

Stampede — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 08:34:14 +0000

Shanghai has an extensive public transportation system, largely based on buses, and a rapidly expanding metro system. For a city of Shanghai’s size, road traffic is still fairly smooth and convenient but getting more congested as the number of cars increases rapidly.

Shanghai is the only city having two international airports in China– Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport, the former is the main international gateway while the latter serves most of the domestic flights. From Shanghai, people can fly to all the main cities in the country (excluding Taiwan), and to the important cities of more than 20 countries and regions in the world.

Pudong International Airport is situated in Pudong New Area, it is 30 km away from the downtown area and 40 km away from the Hongqiao International Airport. Pudong International Airport is becoming one of the aviation centers in the world. Hongqiao International Airport is located in the western part of the city and is 13 km away from the downtown area, as the old airport in Shanghai, it now mainly services domestic flights.

Shanghai connects with all artery railways through Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Hangzhou railway lines, and many parts of the country can be reached by direct train from here. Every day some 80 pairs of trains depart from or arrive at the city. Shanghai has several railway stations, with Shanghai Railway Station as the largest and oldest, the other two are Shanghai South Railway Station which was opened in July 2006 and is set to take over all services towards the south of China, and Shanghai West Railway Station as well.

Shanghai Harbor is an important transportation port for entering and exiting the city as well as a water passenger transport hub in east China, and it is also China’s only sea, river and inland river passenger transportation port. Shanghai Harbor now consists of the Shiliupu, Gongpinglu, Waihongqiao, Luchaogang, Jinshan, Wusong, Baoyanglu and Shidongkou passenger stations, from which passengers can go to Putuoshan, Dalian in Liaoning province, cities along the Yangtze River such as Nanjing, Wuhu, Jiujiang and Wuhan, and Japan.

The subway is an excellent way to get around the city quickly and conveniently. Shanghai now has 5 lines with another 4 under construction. The trains are fast, cheap and fairly user-friendly with most signs both in Chinese and English, but the trains can get very packed during rush hour.

Taxi is generally a good choice for transportation in the city, though Shanghai now is an over- congested metropolis. Taxi colors in Shanghai are strictly controlled and indicate the company the taxi belongs to. Turquoise taxis operated by Dazhong, the largest taxi company in Shanghai, are often judged as the best of the bunch. Yellow taxis belong to QiangSheng taxi company, while white taxis belong to JinJiang taxi company, and blue taxis and red taxis belong to those small taxi companies that they don’t have an identified color. Taxis are required to switch on the meter for all journeys, so always insist that the meter is used, unless taking a long trip out of town.

More a tourist attraction and prestige project than practical means of transport, the Maglev Train runs from Pudong airport to its teminal Longyang in Pudong in 8 minutes, from where you can transfer to the metro to get to your destination. The Maglev Trains run every 20 minutes from 7 am to 9 pm daily at a blazing speed of 430 km/h, and the ride is definitely an experience in a rollercoasterish way.

Transportation in Shanghai

Matias — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 08:09:09 +0000

Due to rapid increase of vehicles on the road, roadways are becoming jammed thus blocking traffic routes. There are many different ways to get around Shanghai with bicycles, walking and buses as the main modes of transportation. Other modes include trains, cars and motorcycles.
Bicycle
An important way of getting around Shanghai and other Chinese cities, is the bicycle. They are inexpensive and faster than using cars, taxis or buses when there is extensive traffic on the road and are very easy to maneuver. With the steady increase of cars on the road in recent years, the market for bicycles has gone down, but are still considered to be one of the most important means of getting around Shanghai.
Taxi
Taxis are available, but are expensive in that there is a lot of traffic and the meters run up while sitting still. Buses in Shanghai and other Chinese cities are usually packed with people, and pickpockets are not uncommon. For people with claustrophobia, don’t take the bus, for they have people shoving their way on or off while being packed in like sardines. If possible, go by foot, especially if the distance isn’t too great. The subway is the way to go if walking is not possible, but they are packed as well. A little more expensive than the bus, it is reliable and efficient.
Train
When traveling by train, soft sleeper is recommended for comfort. There are four options available: hard seat, soft seat, hard sleeper and soft sleeper, with the soft sleeper far superior to the other choices. If a foreigner wishes to travel by train, they must be prepared to pay two or three times what the Chinese do, as the prices for foreigners are generally higher.

Shanghai Blog » Shanghai Transportation

The System Of Transportation In Shanghai

Transportation in Shanghai