Category Archives: newlines

Countdown to the Guangzhou Asian Games: Guangzhou Metro Line 2

All this week we’re profiling the new lines and extensions being added to the Guangzhou Metro before the Asian Games.

Today, Line 2: currently an L-shaped line, some of its current stations will shortly become part of Line 8, while new extensions will be added to the north and south.

To the north, the line heads through Baiyun District towards a new interchange with Line 3 at Jiahewanggang. This will provide easy access to the new Line 3 Airport link. Beware of Xiao-gang station (萧岗站): it’s NOT the same as Xiaogang station (晓港站), currently on line 2 and soon to be on Line 8!

To the south, the line heads through Haizhu and Panyu districts to the new Guangzhou South Railway Station. High-speed trains to Wuhan, Shenzhen and Hong Kong depart from here.

Countdown to the Guangzhou Asian Games: Guangzhou Metro Line 8

All this week we’re profiling the new lines and extensions being added to the Guangzhou Metro before the Asian Games.

First up is Line 8. It runs from Wanshengwei in the east to Fenghuang Xincun in the west, entirely within the central Haizhu district. The eastern part of Line 8 is currently part of Line 2. Once Line 8 opens on September 28th 25th, the stations will become part of Line 8, as well as four new stations: Changgang (the new interchange with Line 2), Baogang Dadao, Shayuan and Fenghuang Xincun.

Line 8 will interchange with Line 2 at Changgang, Line 3 at Kecun and Line 4 at Wanshengwei.

Update: WarrenLOL provides some useful info in the comments:

the last 3 station in the west (Baogang Dadao, Shayuan and Fenghuang Xincun) won’t operate on schedule because the government got involved in the dispute (noise from the cooling tower) with the nearby residents, so we are not sure whether these 3 stations will open before the Asian Games

Tomorrow we’ll profile the extensions to Line 2!

Countdown to the Guangzhou Asian Games

From November 12 to November 27, 2010, Guangzhou will stage the 16th Asian Games, a multi-sport Olympic-style event for the sportsmen and women of Asia. As well as the standard sports like athletics, swimming and football, there are some quirkier additions like Go, Kabbadi, Twenty20 cricket and dragon boat racing.

7,987 athletes and almost 4,500 officials from 45 countries are already registered for the games, but how are they and the spectators going to reach the venues? Guangzhou’s transportation networks have been receiving significant investment before the Games. The Guangzhou Metro network has several new lines and extensions opening, and over the next few days we’ll be looking at the new lines and stations in detail. Continue reading →

Shanghai Metro Line 2 Pudong Airport extension now open until 9pm

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!

Shanghai Metro Line 10 operating times extended from July 3rd

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!

Hongqiao Railway Station to open July 1st

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!

EXCLUSIVE: Shanghai Metro Line 10 full operation from June 12th

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.

Shanghai World Expo Line 13 preview

One of the easiest ways to get to the Shanghai World Expo site once it opens to the public on May 1st will be by metro. A dedicated line, Line 13, will run from Madang Road station, an interchange with Line 9. Here’s what you need to know:

  • You must have a valid Expo ticket to ride Line 13. Rides are free.
  • The Expo and Line 13 officially open on May 1st, but the line is open for ticket holders during the “soft”/trial opening until May 1st
  • The line will operate from 09:00 to 24:00, the same as the opening hours for the Expo park. Trains will run every 6 minutes.
  • At Madang Road, you’ll need to exit the Line 9  station and follow signs to the Expo entrance. Then you’ll undergo security checks and have your ticket checked before being allowed to board the train.
  • There are two stations within the Expo Zone on Line 13: Lupu Bridge on the Puxi side and Shibo Avenue on the Pudong side. At both stations you can walk straight into the Expo Park without needing further security checks
  • Line 13 has a pink livery on maps and in stations
  • You can also use Line 13 to hop between the Puxi and Pudong parts of the Expo Zone by travelling between Lupu Bridge and Shibo Avenue: this is free with an Expo ticket.
  • There are additional entrances to the Expo zone accessible on foot or by shuttle bus from these stations: West Gaoke Road (Line 6/7), Houtan (Line 7), Changqing Road (Line 7), Yaohua Road (Line 7/8), and South Xizang Road (Line 4/8). These stations are outside the Expo Zone though, so you will have to pass through security after leaving the metro station.
  • After the Expo ends, Line 13 will close until 2011, when it will reopen with additional stations.

We’ve updated our online Explore Shanghai metro map to add the new line, and an update to our iPhone app will be available in the next week.

Continue reading →

Houtan station opens 20 April

The Shanghai Metro company has announced that Houtan station on Line 7 will open tomorrow, 20 April. The station is very close to the Expo site and has been closed for construction since Line 7 opened earlier this year. Its located on the Pudong side of the river, between Changqing Road and Chuanchang Road.

We’ve updated our online Explore Shanghai metro map to add the new station, and an update to our iPhone app will be available in the next week.

Singapore Circle Line extended

The Singapore MRT Circle Line was extended today. Previously the line ran from Marymount to Bartley, the new extension loops through central Singapore all the way to a 3-way interchange at Dhoby Ghaut. There’s also a new interchange with the East West Line at Paya Lebar. Trains will run every 5 minutes, or up to every 3.5 minutes at peak times.

We’ve updated our exploresg.com online map with the latest stations. An update to our Explore Singapore iPhone app will follow soon!