The most impressive experience I had during my first visit to Singapore in 2000 was a night ride of Singapore Metro – I basically went around the border of the city via Metro, and saw some remote but well-connected residential areas in the far north of the city.

I thought I saw the future of Shanghai – a city connected by Metro system. However, at that time, my imagination may well stop at what the Metro is currently like, and didn’t go far enough to imagine the future Metro system.

Wendy got the same conclusion when she is back from her Paris trip. She mentioned: because of Metro, where you live does not matter any more.

Let me share some photos of the current construction of Metro Line #6. Below are the tracks (on the left) of Metro #8.

It is at the intersection of Puxing Highway and the future Pudong Middle Ring.

Below is the approximate location of the place where I took the photo. That is a long line!

Looking forward to more Metro lines in Shanghai.

Shanghai Metro People’s Square Station is the first transition station in Shanghai Metro System. Once upon a time, there is only one metro line in Shanghai when I arrived in this city, and it took many years for the Metro Line #2 to be constructed and opened. Then the Long Transition Tunnel of the Metro #1 and #2 became the memories of many people – it was really long.

Now, with the opening of Metro Line #8 and the new transition hall, this is history. Look at the brand new Metro Station in People’s Square. Again, I am reporting through photos:

From Metro Line #8

From the Metro Line #8 platform, clear directions hangs on the top of the elevator entrance. The Metro Line #8 is much cleaner than Metro Line #1 and #2 anyway.

© Jian Shuo Wang

Look at the lovely sign – [1] and [2]

 
© Jian Shuo Wang

The Transition Hall

This is the transition hall. It is pretty high. Most people stay in the bottom of the hall. For those people who want to exit, climb high to get to the ground floor.

This is the view of the transition hall.  The right of the red-lined area is paying-area – passengers with tickets, and on the left is out of the station.

Look at this: This is pretty amazing. Instead of just one elevator, they have 3 elevators moving people from the bottom of the transition hall into the deeper hall into the earth.

 
© Jian Shuo Wang

  
© Jian Shuo Wang

There are another three moving people up.

© Jian Shuo Wang

Closing of the Long Transition Tunnel

With the new transition hall, the old Long Transition Tunnel was closed. Can you imagine that before, all the traffic from #1 to #2 comes out of this long transition tunnel – just some small closed gate?

© Jian Shuo Wang

Sky in the Transition Hall

Below is the roof of the transition hall – with sky visible.

 
© Jian Shuo Wang

Ground Signs

Outside the stations, direction signs have been updated to have the three lines there.

© Jian Shuo Wang

New Control Center of Metro Line #8

© Jian Shuo Wang

New Tunnel from Metro Line #8 to Raffles City.  

© Jian Shuo Wang

Below is the old tunnel from Line #1 and #2. This one and the above one are parallel. If I were you, I will try to use the tunnel for Metro #8.

 
© Jian Shuo Wang

At the end of the tunnel, there are three directions – Line #1, Line #2, and Line #8.

 
© Jian Shuo Wang

© Jian Shuo Wang

Above is the Line #1, and below is Line #8 Hall. Obviously, the newer one is better, cleaner with fewer people, although they are just one wall in between, with many gates on the wall.

© Jian Shuo Wang

Below is the complicated transition map that I don’t think anyone can really understand. It seems very high-tech though.

 
Photograph by Jian Shuo Wang

Conclusion

People’s Square Station is not my favorite one – my favorite transition station is Metro Century Avenue Station, and South Xizang Rd. Station. However, it is maybe the most complicated station. I am happy that it is finally transformed to be a much better station than before. I complained a lot about the Long Transition Tunnel – the big curve in the diagram blog linking top floor, to the bottom floor, until I saw the transition plan between Line #2 and Line #13 in Beijing. Now, with the close of the long tunnel, I don’t complain at all.

Among all the transition in the current Shanghai Metro System, I love the platform design of South Xizang Rd. Station of Line #4 and Line #8 most. That is the easiest transition and shortest among all the current transition plans. I am a Metro Fans, and am always attracted by construction site. I got the change the take some photos of the design of the station.

Location of South Xizang Rd. Station

According to this map, it is at the intersection of line #4 and the line #8 (at the south side of the circle line #4). Sorry that the Automatic Vendor Machine don’t have an English map.

So this interaction is pretty simple:

Line #4 – going west and east.

Line #8 – going north and south

So the two lines forms a perfect 90 degree cross.

Signs

The transition center used many stickers on the ground, like this one to point people to the right direction.

Entrance – The Perfect Cross at the Top Level

The station is like a big +. At the center of the station, you will see the sign in the middle of the pictures below: two directions pointing to Line #4, and the other two point to Line #8. At the border of four side of the octagon is an entrance to the Metro Lines. The four pictures around the center diagram shows the entrances.

The picture on the top left and top right corner show the entrance and exit gates. These gates are the other four borders of the octagon. This make is pretty clear about which direction people need to go.

Since the Metro Line #4 runs below the line #8, it is much deeper, and requires such a long elevator to transport people there:

The elevator to the Line #8 is much shorter – half of the length.

Transition – the Lower Perfect Cross

I just talked about entering the station, and choose the right direction (out of the four directions). Here is the experience for transition passengers from Line 8 or Line 4.

This is the view from Metro Line #8. This entrance is at the middle of the platform. If you want to get some idea about where I was to take this picture: the train runs on the left hand or the right hand of where I stayed. I am looking downstairs.

At the end of the stairs, they also have this familiar signs.

So the experience for people transition from Line 8 to Line 4 is:

• Leave the train.
• Go downstairs to reach this sign.
• Turn left or right and continue to walk downstairs
• You will find you are in the middle of the platform for line #4

Transition from Line 4 to Line 8 is exactly the same way:

• Leave the train
• Go up stairs to reach the sign
• Turn left or right and continue to walk upstairs
• You will get to platform of Line #8

This is among the shortest transition distance I have find out in the Metro System so far.

Improvement Needed

Since the walking stairs in the middle, like an island, and all the elevators goes to the farther side of the platform, they have to put on the signs on the poles like below to tell people which way to go. These two signs are at the two side of the pole, so actually they are pointing to the two direction directions.

One says:

To take elevator to exit the station, this way

The other side

To transit to Line #4, this way.

I did see some confusing passengers who  want to exit used the middle walking island to get to the other platform and get very confused. There are also passengers w

ho use the elevator to get to the top of the entrance hall and get down – waste of time.

Good luck with your transition at South Xizang Rd. Station.

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