Temporary shelters at Hongqiao hub for stranded passengers

The Hongqiao transportation hub has set up six temporary shelters for passengers stuck in the city due to bad weather during the Spring Festival holiday period.

Three of the shelters are in the hub and the other three in the neighboring areas.

Xu Bing, an official with the Administration of Shanghai Hongqiao Central Business District, said the shelters have been put up at Xijiao Square, an unused maglev train waiting room, and an aisle connecting the airport and high-speed train station. The three hub spots can accommodate over 2,000 people and basic amenities like seats and hot water will be provided.

The other shelters are at the Minhang District Stadium, Aibo neighborhood club and Shanghai Wenlai Experimental School. They can hold 3,500 passengers.

During the Spring Festival travel rush, about 60 percent of passengers are expected to take off from the Hongqiao transportation hub. The passenger volume is expected to increase by 9 percent this year from the same period last year, said Wang Aijie, another official at the administration.

If the number of stranded passengers at Hongqiao rises due to cancellations and delays of trains and flights, the hub will make arrangements to evacuate them, Wang said.

The Minhang Passenger Transport Service Co will arrange for shuttle bus services during emergencies.

The city's railways will see off over 13 million passengers during the 40-day travel period. The peak passenger flow will be on February 13, when around 498,000 passengers are expected to leave the city for their hometowns.