Metro system adding 67 kilometers this year
Shanghai is expected to have another three Metro lines by the end of the year, according to a report by the city’s transport commission on Friday.
A total of 67 kilometers including the second phase of Metro lines 10 and 15 and parts of Line 18 are currently under construction.
Xie Feng, the commission director, said completion of the new lines will further support regional development and public transport needs.
Line 10’s second phase will stretch from Xinjiangwancheng in Yangpu District to Jilong Road in the northern Pudong New Area to benefit residents along the Huangpu River.
Line 15 will be the first north-to-south link in southern Shanghai, passing through Baoshan, Putuo, Changning, Xuhui and Minhang districts.
The first phase of Line 18 will be the first north-to-south link in east Shanghai, linking Baoshan and Yangpu districts and the Pudong New Area to strengthen the cross-river connection.
Work on key infrastructure such as the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou railway, the southern part of the Suzhou-Shanghai inner port waterway and expressway from Jiangyang Road N. to Fuchang Road has also begun.
In total, 60 major projects have been outlined this year.
Xie said that more measures will be introduced this year to relieve parking problems, including a public parking information platform.
About 3,000 public parking lots in the city and 1,200 roadside parking areas will be registered on the platform, which will provide services including spot-sharing, reservations and online payment. The platform is currently under test and will be launched in July.
Meanwhile, more spare space within communities and public areas will be re-planned to meet the demand for parking.
With the pandemic under control in China and the gradual restart of daily activities, the city’s overall transport has returned to normal after a significant drop in vehicle and passenger numbers in the first quarter.
Xie said the traveling patterns had shifted as trips had been staggered. More people were working from home, and many residents were not making unnecessary trips and preferred to travel by car.
April saw a slight increase in vehicle numbers and congestion on expressways at peak hours compared with last year.
After expressway tolls resumed in May, daily vehicle number was about 1.15 million a day, almost the same level as the year before.
Passenger numbers on subways, buses and water transport were 90, 73 and 80 percent respectively of last year’s figures.