Articles

Shanghai Subway

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The Shanghai subway system is one of the youngest and among the most rapidly expanding in the world. The first line opened in 1995 on a north-south axis from Shanghai’s Central Station to the southern suburbs; the first section of the second line followed only four years later.

A third line, the so-called "Pearl Line," has been developed out of a former, mostly elevated ring-railway and runs from Baoshan Steel Complex in the north via Shanghai Railway Station to Caoxi Road in the south. Construction between Caoxi Road and Jiang Wan Zhen of the first 25 kilometer section – with 19 stations, 3 at grade – was completed in May 2000 and opened December 26, 2000 for trial operation.

The elevated 17.2 km southern extension of Line 1 (Xinmin Line) to Minhang (11 stations) opened as Line 5 in November of 2003. For this line, Siemens TS supplied a VICOS operation control system, SICAS electronic interlocking, and the ZUB 200 intermittent automatic train control (ATC) system. The trains were built by Alstom (Metropolis).

The northern extension (Gonghexin Rd Line) of Line 1 to Taihe Road Outer Ring Road Station includes 12.4 kilometers, 4.2 of which are underground, and contains 3 stations. The Gonghexin Road Viaduct Project, completed Oct. 2004, adds an additional 8.2 kilometer of elevated track and 6 additional stations.

The second phase of the Pearl Line (Line 4) runs through Pudong along Oriental Road. This line will form a circle with the existing Pearl Line, linking Baoshan station and Yi Shan Road station via Pudong on the east bank of the Huangpu River. The 22.3-kilometer, mainly underground line (1.25 km elevated) was scheduled for completion by the end of 2004 (17 stations), but was delayed due to the collapse of a building on the eastern cross-river section. The first stretches opened in December, 2005. One year later Line 3 was substantially extended towards the north to relieve the overcrowded Line 1.

The total length of the system in May of 2007 was 145 kilometers.

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