Category Archives: cities

Shanghai Metro Line 4 partial closure over Chinese New Year

The Shanghai Metro company announced that services will be suspended on half of Line 4, the circular line, over the Spring Festival Break. The work is necessary due to subsidence at Hailun Road Station.

Line 4 will temporarily operate on the segment between Yishan Road and Linping Road only. On most of the missing section, this won’t be too much of a problem as Line 3 services call at all stations between Baoshan Road and Yishan Road. However note that Linping Road is now something of a dead-end (click to enlarge map).

The shutdown will last from January 23 to 28. Normal operations will resume after the holidays.

Singapore MRT Circle Line Extension opens

It’s been a tough few months for commuters in Singapore, with frequent breakdowns plaguing the usually reliable MRT system. Finally there’s some good news for Singaporeans as the long-awaited Circle Line Extension opens! The new link connects the Circle Line with a new station at Bayfront and an interchange with the North South Line at Marina Bay.

We’ve updated our online map with the new stations, an update to our Explore Singapore MRT iPhone app will be available soon.

The Joy of Six: introducing Explore Shanghai 6.0 with bus info, top tips

We’re proud to announce that Explore Shanghai is the second of our award-winning subway maps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to reach version 6.0


With version 6.0 we re-wrote the map code from the ground up to be faster. The app now loads quicker, and zooming in and out should be smooth, even on older devices.

The other big new feature is tips. Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what’s nearby. We’ve even included bus information for every metro station: check Tips to see which buses stop in the vicinity of the metro station.

Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:

You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city.

Explore Shanghai 6.0 is a free update for existing users. Not got Explore Shanghai yet? Download it now from the iTunes App Store.

The Joy of Six: introducing Explore Beijing 6.0 with new subway lines, top tips

We’re proud to announce that Explore Beijing is the first of our award-winning subway maps for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to reach version 6.0

With version 6.0 we re-wrote the map code from the ground up to be faster. The app now loads quicker, and zooming in and out should be smooth, even on older devices.

The other big new feature is tips. Ever wondered what points of interest are close to a subway stop? Now you can tap on any station, then tap on Tips to see what’s nearby:

Tap the thumbs up button on any tip which you find useful. And if you know a great local restaurant, attraction or a clever shortcut, you can add your own tip:

 

You can also view a list of the most popular tips for the whole city.

And of course we’ve brought Explore Beijing fully up to date for 2012 with the latest lines and stations: find journey times on the new Line 9, Line 8 extension and Line 15 extension.

Explore Beijing 6.0 is a free update for existing users. Not got Explore Beijing yet? Download it now from the iTunes App Store.





On Dear Passengers – Are They Banning Photography on the Beijing Subway?

David Feng on Dear Passengers

Yours truly has recently heard of a few disturbing cases where some riders (especially young riders) have been harassed for taking pictures at some Beijing Subway stations.

No law in China forbids photography inside trains or at stations, but it is an offence under at least the Beijing Subway regulations “to remain for an extended period of time” (久留) inside stations, especially on the platforms or concourses.

Read the full article at DearPassengers.com >>

Beijing Subway Line 9 set for December opening: and two new extensions!

The Beijing Subway will be getting longer with the opening of 3 new sections at the end of December 2012. David Feng wrote a good summary of the new lines over at City Weekend.

The good news is that Line 8 is reopening with a longer northern extension towards Huilongguan, interchanging with Line 13 at Huoying. Line 15 is also extended, and there’s a brand new Line 9 which connects the Fangshan Line to Beijing West Railway Station. Line 9 and the Fangshan Line are still isolated from the rest of the subway system: you’ll need to take a bus from Beijing West Railway Station to Military Museum station on Line 1.

Here’s a map highlighted the newly opened lines: click to expand. Look out for updated versions of our interactive subway map and Beijing Subway iPhone app when the new lines open.


The Beach Express: Shanghai Metro Line 22 to Jinshan set for December opening

Shanghai Metro Line 22 will connect Shanghai South Railway Station with Jinshan, home of the closest sandy beach to downtown Shanghai. Not that it will likely be beach-going weather when the line opens in late December, 2011.

UPDATE: the Jinshan Railway finally opened in September 2012!

Jinshan Beach

The new line will have 9 stations, connecting with Line 1 and 3 at Shanghai Railway Station, and Line 1 and Line 5 at a new transport hub at Xinzhuang in Minghang District. The line then heads south into Songjiang and Jinshan Districts. The stations, from north to south:

  • 上海南站 Shanghai South Railway Station (interchange with Line 1 and Line 3)
  • 莘庄 Xinzhuang (interchange with Line 1 and Line 5)
  • 春申 Chunshen
  • 新桥 Xinqiao
  • 闵西 Minxi
  • 叶榭 Yexie
  • 亭林 Tinglin
  • 阮巷 Ruanxiang
  • 金山 Jinshan
The line is 56.4km long. There will be some direct trains which travel the line in 30 minutes, while trains stopping at every station will take 50 minutes. Trains will travel at up to 160km/h on the new line, over twice as fast as on regular metro lines.

Seoul Metro DX Line opens

The “Sinbundang Line” or “DX Line” has opened to the public in Seoul. The line provides a quick route from Gangnam station to the Bundang area, taking a more direct route than the Bundang Line. It’s colored red on the map below.

Chris Backe has some handy hints about the new line. We’ve submitted an update to our Seoul Metro iPhone app and it should be available soon!

Beijing Line 8 temporarily closes, extended version to open soon

Beijing Subway Line 8 has been temporarily closed. The current four-station line runs from Beitucheng through the Olympic Green to
South Gate of Forest Park. Don’t panic, the reason for the closure is the impending opening of Line 8, phase 2! The second phase, scheduled to open in late December, will extend the line to the north, with additional interchanges with the Changping Line and Line 13. The full list of new stations is listed below.
  • Zhuxinzhuang 朱辛庄 (Changping Line)
  • Pingxifu 平西府
  • Huoying 霍营 (Line 13)
  • Xisanqi 西三旗
  • Xisanqi South 西三旗南
  • Yongtai 永泰
  • Lincui Lu 林萃路
  • South Gate of Forest Park 森林公园南门
  • Olympic Green 奥林匹克公园
  • Olympic Sports Center 奥体中心
  • Beitucheng 北土城 (Line 10)