Metro stations experiment with open turnstiles
Shot by Jiang Xiaowei. Edited by Jiang Xiaowei. Subtitles by Jiang Xiaowei.
Turnstile gates are open.
To improve traffic flow, three Metro stations will keep turnstile gates open from Saturday to June 30 on a trial basis.
Turnstiles at Zhanghuabang Station on Line 3, Yangshupu Station on Line 4 and Wuzhong Road Station on Line 15 will be open, with passengers scanning their traffic cards or smart phone directly for quick passage.
Security checks remains as usual.
Passengers should confirm there is a green arrow to make sure that they have scanned their card or QR code successfully. Metro staff and volunteers will be available to help passengers.
If a passenger fails to correctly scan or doesn't scan the card or their smart phone, the turnstile gate will close automatically. The passenger should rescan or go to a service center for help.
After the trial ends, the authority will evaluate its effects, especially during traffic peaks, and consider whether to promote it, said Shanghai Shentong Metro Group, the subway operator.
Zhang Xiaolin, an official at the Wuzhong Road Station, said the new measure can improve the efficiency of commuters' passage.
A female passenger with a little boy added the new measure can avoid a child being stuck in the turnstile.
In Shanghai, a parent can take two children no more than 1.3 meters on the metro for free. But they should enter and leave the gate together at a normal turnstile after the adult scans his or her card.
"Sometimes, we may be stuck in the small turnstile," said the woman. "This new measure can avoid such situation."
Another passenger said the measure's effects may be not as ideal as the authority expects
"Many people may be stuck while scanning the card or smart phone," he said. "Time saved from opening and closing of turnstile gate may not be so significant."
A passenger scans his smart phone at the gate while the turnstile remains.
