Category Archives: shanghai

Year-end metro openings for Shanghai and Beijing

December 2014 should see several new lines and extensions opening in Shanghai and Beijing.

In Shanghai, Line 13 will be extended by three stops, with a new Line 11/13 interchange at Longde Road and a new Line 7/13 interchange at Changshou Road. Additionally Line 16 should be extended with a new Line 2/7/16/Maglev interchange at Longyang Road.

In Beijing, one major change is the switch from a flat 2RMB fare to distance-based pricing from 3RMB to 10RMB beginning December 28. There are also several new lines opening: a brand new east-west line, Line 7, plus extensions to Line 6, Line 14 and Line 15.

As you may know, ExploreMetro is run by just one person and I’m currently in the United States, preparing to get married on December 31st! So, for personal reasons, the Explore Shanghai and Explore Beijing apps will likely not be updated with all the new lines until early January. Thanks for your patience.

Update 1! Basic updates to the online maps and Android apps are now available. Some information like first/last train times will be updated in early January. iOS apps will also be updated in early January.

Update 2! Updates to our iOS apps are also now available!

Vote for ExploreMetro in the Urban Commuter Challenge

We recently entered ExploreMetro in the Urban Commuter Challenge. This is a competition which challenges app developers to improve life for commuters in Shanghai.

Now, if you’re reading this blog you already know that we make Shanghai’s best metro map, so how could we make it even better?

By adding offline exit maps! Read the story of what we did, and please consider voting for us on the ChallengePost website.

Introducing Material Design for our Android metro maps

We’ve just updated all of our ExploreMetro Android apps with a style update inspired by the new Google Material Design patterns.

material-nexus5_framed

You’ll see more consistent use of colour throughout the apps: for example Shanghai uses a blue theme with a blue icon, blue toolbar and blue highlights, while Singapore is purple and Beijing is red.

It’s also even easier to plan a route, just tap the big circular Plan Route button (in orange in the screenshot below) to start planning a route.

We’ve also taken the opportunity to roll out some other updates, with station and first/last train time updates for Shanghai, and updated journey prices for Singapore. Find any issues with the latest updates? Get in touch

Asia’s best metro maps: now free forever on iPhone

 

Every app. Free Forever. I’m excited to announce that starting today, all our iPhone metro maps apps are free to download. Whether you need a metro map for Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Singapore, Seoul, or Taipei – both iPhone and Android apps can be downloaded free of charge. This is not a temporary promotion, all our apps are free, forever.

It’s been five years since I launched the first version of Explore Shanghai for iPhone, and a lot has changed in the app market. Most apps are now free to download, and people’s appetite for paid apps is declining. I’m still confident that the ExploreMetro apps are Asia’s best metro maps, and with your help they can be the most popular too!

If you download an app for the first time, you can use nearly all the features of the app for free, including search, route-planning and street maps. Certain features such as first/last train times, audio pronunciations of stations and offline street maps are now premium features. You can upgrade any app to VIP mode to get all premium features, and remove banner ads.

If you’ve ever downloaded a paid version of the app you are entitled to continue using all the premium features for free, forever. If you have any problems restoring your purchase, please contact us!

Tell your friends… tell the world… Asia’s best metro maps are now FREE!

Qufu Road interchange opens on Shanghai Metro

The Shanghai Metro company has announced that Qufu Road is now open as an interchange between Line 8 and Line 12. Previously Line 12, which opened earlier in the year, terminated at Tiantong Road.

Screenshot 2014-05-11 19.31.53

The new interchange is expected to bring even more traffic to the already-overcrowded Line 8. During rush hour, a one-way system will be used to help passengers flow around the station more easily.

We’ve just pushed live updates to our online map at www.exploreshanghai.com and our Android app, an update to our iPhone app has been submitted to Apple and should be approved within the next week.

 

Access all areas: disabled and elevator access information, now in our Shanghai iPhone app

Many residents and visitors to Shanghai have limited mobility. Whether you use a wheelchair, or are using a stroller, the good news is that many stations on the Shanghai Metro have accessible lifts/elevators. We’ve now made this information available in our iPhone app in the “tips” section. Simply select “Tips” for any station, and look for the blue wheelchair icon.

 

iOS Simulator Screen shot 9 Jan 2014 00.13.06We’ve sourced this information directly from the Shanghai Metro company, so there may be some errors or omissions. The tips are also available on the “Metropedia” pages, for example Xintiandi. Let us know if you have any feedback or suggestions on how to make this information better!

We added this feature as a direct result of a suggestion on our feedback forum – so please feel free to make other suggestions on the forum, it really does help!

Exit strategy: new information on exits for the Shanghai Metropedia

We’ve added a new feature to the Metropedia pages for the Shanghai Metro. You can now see basic exit information, so you can check which road to exit onto. Here’s an example for South Shaanxi Road:

Screenshot 2014-01-08 23.40.53

This is a test for now, so you’ll only see the exit data for Shanghai, and only for English. We’ll be looking at improved ways to show this information in our mobile apps too. Let us know if you have any feedback!

Shanghai Metro Line 12: Cruise Control

It’s that time of year again, when metro systems in China prepare to open new lines. We’re expecting two brand new lines to open in Shanghai in late December 2013: Line 12 and Line 16. Today we’re previewing Line 12.

Line 12 will eventually pass all the way through the city center, from Pudong to Minhang, but for now the Phase 1 contains 15 stations. Phase 1 starts at Tiantong Road on Line 10, one stop north of East Nanjing Road. It heads west along the North Bund, passing the new International Cruise Terminal, and interchanges with Line 4 at Dalian Road. It then continues east with six more stations in Puxi, before crossing the river and intersecting with Line 6 at Jufeng Road. The final terminus is Jinhai Road in Pudong, which will eventually be a interchange with Line 9.

In around May 2014, the line will also be extended by one line to the west to interchange with Line 8 at Qufu Road.

The full list of stations is:

  • Tiantong Road 天潼路
  • International Cruise Terminal 国际客运中心
  • Tilanqiao 提篮桥
  • Dalian Road 大连路
  • Jiangpu Park 江浦公园
  • Ningguo Road 宁国路
  • Longchang Road 隆昌路
  • Aiguo Road 爱国路
  • Fuxing Island 复兴岛
  • Donglu Road 东陆路
  • Jufeng Road 巨峰路
  • North Yanggao Road 杨高北路
  • Jinjing Road 金京路
  • Shenjiang Road 申江路
  • Jinhai Road 金海路

Line 12 is labelled dark green on the map:

Screenshot 2013-12-14 16.10.25

Our metro maps online, for Android and iPhone will be updated as soon as the new line opens (around December 28th, 2013).

Shanghai Metro Line 16: the Dishui Lake Express

It’s that time of year again, when metro systems in China prepare to open new lines. We’re expecting two brand new lines to open in Shanghai in late December 2013: Line 12 and Line 16.

Today we’re previewing Line 16. Line 16 is entirely in Pudong, and currently connects Luoshan Road station, at the end of Line 11, with Dishui Lake, a man-made circular lake, near Lingang New City. The line also passes the Shanghai Wild Animal Park and the site of the future Pudong Railway Station. The line will also be extended to connect to Longyang Road (Line 2/7 and Maglev) in future. You’ll also be able to connect to Shanghai Disney Resort via Line 11 by 2015 at Luoshan Road.

Trains on Line 16 will run faster than regular metro stations due to having to cover a longer distance, and seats will face forwards/backwards, instead of sideways like on other lines.

The full list of stations is:

  • Luoshan Road 罗山路
  • East Zhoupu 周浦东
  • Heshahangcheng 鹤沙航城
  • East Hangtou 航头东
  • Xinchang 新场
  • Wild Animal Park 野生动物园
  • Huinan 惠南
  • East Huinan 惠南东
  • Shuyuan 书院
  • Lingang Avenue 临港大道
  • Dishui Lake 滴水湖

Screenshot 2013-12-11 18.51.52

Our metro maps online, for Android and iPhone will be updated as soon as the new line opens (around December 28th, 2013).

Shanghai Metro Line 11 reaches Kunshan

Shanghai Metro Line 11 recently opened 3 new stations at the northern end of the Line 11 branch line.

Screen Shot 2013-10-19 at 20.41.14

The three new stations are Zhaofeng Road, Guangming Road and Huaqiao.

Interestingly, the stations are not in Shanghai municipality but in Kunshan city in neighbouring Jiangsu province. In future the line will connect to Kunshan’s own metro system.

We’ve updated exploreshanghai.com and updates for our iPhone app and Android app will be available soon.