By popular request, we’ll soon be including integrated Google Maps in our iPhone metro map apps for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Hong Kong and Singapore. Just tap on any station and choose “Street map” to see the area around the selected station. You can pan and zoom the map to see more.
If you’ve got any suggestions on this or other features, do get in touch!
Stay tuned for updates to all our apps to support Google maps over the next few weeks.
The Shanghai Metro Company has announced that the Line 2 extension to Pudong Airport will have its opening times extended from a measly 9am-4pm to the more reasonable 6:30am – 9pm as of July 10th. We’ve previously posted a detailed description of the trip on the line linking the two airports. It will still be necessary to change trains at Guanglan Road.
Expect updates to our online map and iPhone app shortly!
We recently submitted an update for Explore Shanghai for iPhone but encountered a snag, as we were told:
We’ve completed the review of your application, but are unable to post this version to the App Store because it includes a contest with Apple products as prizes. Apps that include such offerings incorrectly create an association with Apple, Inc.
Hmm. So now when you tell a friend about one of our apps, you can win a iPad Wii! Just tap on the Help tab in the app.
For those of you waiting anxiously for the update, Explore Shanghai 2.3 has been resubmitted (including the new Hongqiao Railway Station and extended times for Line 10) and should be available soon! Download Explore Shanghai now and you’ll receive the free update as soon as it’s approved.
Stop us if you’ve heard this before… but after several false starts Shanghai Metro Line 10 will finally extend its opening times from July 3rd. Currently limited to 9am to 4pm, the new opening times will be 5.30am to 7.30pm. The times between trains will also be reduced to 6 minutes at peak times, down from 8 minutes.
Look out for updates to our online metro map and iPhone app soon!
The Shanghai Metro company has announced that Hongqiao Railway Station on Shanghai Metro Line 2 will open from July 1st.
The station is between the existing Line 2 stops at Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 and East Xujing. This will provide easy access for passengers on the new Shanghai-Nanjing bullet train. The new high speed trains will reach Nanjing in just 73 minutes, also calling at Shanghai West Railway Station on Line 11.
There are big future plans for Hongqiao Railway Station, part of the new Hongqiao Transportation Hub. Hongqiao Railway Station will also be the terminal station of Metro Line 10 once the Hongqiao branch opens later in the year. It will also be the terminus of the future Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Rail Line.
Expect updates to our online map and iPhone app shortly!
At last! Explore Metro can exclusively reveal that Shanghai’s Metro Line 10 will open for full operation from June 12th. Since it opened earlier this year the line has been constrained to an inconvenient 9am – 4pm schedule. From Saturday the opening times should be in line with other services. We’ll have an update shortly with the first/last train informations on our online map and iPhone app.
UPDATE – we spoke too soon. The schedule has still not been extended. Expect an announcement in the next few weeks.
Congratulations to Kerstin, who has won this month’s free ticket to the Shanghai World Expo! We’re giving away a free ticket every month to users of our ExploreShanghai metro map for iPhone. We’ll give out another free ticket in June, so check out the competition and download ExploreShanghai for iPhone!
On Friday, the Shanghai Metro company announced that daily passenger numbers had again broken the daily record, surpassing 6 million. They also provided line-by-line numbers so it’s possible to see the numbers of passengers using the different lines:
Clearly Lines 1 and 2 are the most popular, with over 1 million each. Line 4 and Line 8 are the next most popular. Of the lines which opened in 2010, Line 7 is already seeing almost half a million daily passengers.
We’re giving away five tickets to the Shanghai World Expo!
If you’ve been living in Shanghai, or planning a trip, you’ll no doubt be planning a visit to the Expo Site. Regular tickets cost 160 RMB ($23) but thanks to Explore Shanghai you could visit for free! The competition is open to anyone who uses Explore Shanghai for iPhone, available from the iTunes App Store. Explore Shanghai is a great companion for your Expo trip, it includes up-to-date information on all the new metro lines, including Line 13 directly into the Expo park.
You can download ExploreShanghai for iPhone from the iTunes App Store for just $0.99. Once you’ve downloaded, tap on the Help tab and fill in your details to be entered into the draw. You can enter once per day, and the more you enter the greater your chance of winning! We’ll announce the first lucky winner on May 31st.
Disclaimer: ExploreMetro is the sole sponsor of this Sweepstakes and Apple is not a sponsor or responsible for this Sweepstakes.
We recently contributed to CNNGo’s article Another 51 things you may not know about Shanghai – but should. Here’s our selection of facts about the Shanghai Metro!
39. Shanghai’s circular Metro Line 4 was originally not a circle. During construction in 2003, the section under the Huangpu river collapsed, though no-one was injured. It took until 2007 to open the final section from Damuqiao Lu to Lancun Lu.
40. Several of Shanghai’s Metro lines have been given unofficial nicknames. Line 10 is the “Golden Line” as it links many of the city’s tourist attractions like Yuyuan and Xintiandi. Line 6 has been dubbed the “Hello Kitty Line” due to its lurid pink livery.
41. The longest possible journey on the Shanghai Metro is between Pudong International Airport on Line 2 and Anting on Line 11. The journey takes around two and a quarter hours and costs RMB 10. In the time it takes to get to Anting, you could fly to Japan!42. Shanghai now has the longest metro system in the world, with 420km of track (260 miles), overtaking the London Underground’s 408km. It took London 140 years to reach this length, Shanghai did it in 15 years.
43. The Shanghai Metro has a mascot, a small blue robot called Chang Chang. Its name means “smooth traffic” in Chinese.
44. Due to overcrowding on Shanghai Metro Line 8, staff have been employed to push extra people into carriages at peak times.
45. On some Metro lines, a snippet of music from “Going Home” by saxophonist Kenny G is played at the terminal station. This piece of music is also played in some Chinese schools to mark the end of the day.
46. A number of oddly dressed people have been spotted by Chinese netizens on the Shanghai Metro. In recent years ‘Leopard Print Man,’ a robot, Superman, and an Egyptian mummy have all been spotted riding the subway.
Read the full article on CNNgo