Metro passengers warm up to warmer carriages
A passenger, wearing a jacket, is seen on a Metro Line 12 train.
Passengers travelling on 11 Metro lines who find the carriages too cold can now move to the first or last carriages of the trains to get warmer.
The air temperatures in the warmer carriages are 2 degrees Celsius higher than the rest of the carriages, according to Shanghai Metro.
No written signs for the warmer carriages are displayed on the trains, but passengers are informed of the service, which was launched on Sunday, through radio and LED screens inside the stations.
The company explained that it's because the service will only be available in summer.
Shen Jie, a 42-year-old man who took a Metro Line 3 train on Monday, enjoyed the service.
Wearing a long-sleeved windbreaker, Shen said he often feels cold when riding the Metro in summer except when the trains are crowded.
"I often suffer from neck and back pain after exposure to cold air, and the cold air blowing directly down on me in Metro trains is not good for me," he said.
"In the warmer carriages the wind from the air-conditioning system feels much milder and blows in more directions."
Shen said he still felt a little cold in the warmer carriages, but it was no longer unbearable.
He also suggested that physical signs be placed inside the trains to inform passengers.
Yang Fang, 75, who took a Line 11 train on Monday, said she used the warmer carriage after learning about the service from the station radio.
"I usually carry a coat with me when taking the Metro," she said. "The warmer carriage does feel warmer."
Other passengers, however, said they're okay with the temperatures in the normal carriages and don't need to use the warmer carriages.
"I don't usually do long trips on the Metro, and I use the first and last carriages only because there are fewer people in those two carriages," said a 30-year-old woman surnamed Zhang, who took a Line 3 train on Monday.
The warmer carriages are available on lines 3, 4, 5, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17 and 18, with the other lines technically not ready for it, Shanghai Metro said.
