It is reported that the Metro Line #2 will connect the Pudong and Hongqiao airports by May 1, 2010, just in time for the Shanghai World Expo 2010.
Currently, the most effective transition between Shanghai Pudong Airport and Hongqiao Airport is still by bus or taxi. The Maglev is not a feasible approach yet, since it just arrives at Long Yang Road Station. You have to transit to Metro Line #2 first, and then transit to Airport shuttle at Jingan Temple Station, or taxi.
In 2010, with the east extension of Metro Line #2 to Pudong Airport, and the west extension to Hongqiao Airport, people can directly take Metro Line #2 to complete the transition. It is still not the fastest way. The pending Maglev, and event taxi or shuttle bus are faster than Metro, but the 1.5 hour is so much more reliable than other approaches.
So stay tuned, and wait… I will update as soon as Metro connects the two airports.
Several years ago, I had to pick up new colleagues several times at Pudong airport very early in the morning. At the time I lived near Zhongshan Park, and the entire trip took just 45-55 minutes. The variable was whether I had to wait on the mag-lev, as it only ran every 15 minutes.
It should be about the same today. That is pretty impressive for going across a major city. At least I was impressed!
Even when the number two line goes all the way to the airport I think I would still prefer to take the maglev, just because it is so cool.
But won’t the maglev then be redundant? That seems wasteful, although I know it was built partially as a pilot project.
Exactly. To take Metro Line #2 from Zhong Shan Park, to Long Yang Road Station, and transit to Maglev is very fast, as you said, 45 to 55 minutes, for people who are familiar with the system. For international travelers, maybe convenience and simplicity is another thing that they care. Get on board this line, and just wait – don’t worry about transition, and don’t worry about signs… Just sit there, until you arrive. This kind of convenience is also important, besides the value of speed.
Maglev IS a problem now. With the current short distance Maglev, it is loosing several hundred million RMB per year, with no hope to break even. Even though the Maglev may be wasteful to extend to Hong Qiao Airport, or to Hangzhou, it seems to be the only way to go, besides abandon the current Maglev project (which is a disaster for the decision makes in Shanghai)
30 Km of tube in one year? That is a tall order!
Too bad for Maglev, from icon to eye-sore!
Yes, if I was tired or if I went to the airport often, I am sure I would just stay on line 2 all the way.
For the maglev, I guess the problem is where can it go? I read some time ago about some residents that were against extending the line, (this is known as NIMBY in law, ‘not in my back yard’, in other words “I don’t mind public works as long as I do not need to suffer the noise pollution or other negative effects of living near them), and if it isn’t extended into the city, well it seems as if it will become a relic. Or may it can go to Chang Sha or one of the coastal towns in Pudong, other than that…
Maglevs make more sense as transport between cities anyway, not really within cities. If you compare the travel times is it really worth the extra money and noise to use maglev technology?
But actually I have no idea about cost or anything. Plus, the more you use it the cheaper it becomes, at the margin.
Enough, my brain is tired. But still interesting topic. Goodnight!
I think they should extend the line to Hongqiao Airport but not to Pudong Airport. They just need to improve the Maglev so it’s easily manageable with luggage and the transfer to line 2 is very clear and easy.
First part by Maglev, than line 2 from LongYang to Hongqiao Airport.
However, it seems they are already working on the metro line in Pudong and not as an extension of line 2. Or is this a seperate line they are making?
The Maglev project is reported to get back to life again. The protest of residents in Meilong area (where I lived for 3 years) gets some return. The latest version of the plan was to move the Maglev into underground. This significantly increase cost, and decrease possible speed, but it is better than nothing, from the government perspective.
For Maglev, I always think to improve a little bit of the platform and train station/Metro transition system makes bigger difference at lower cost. Now most of the time was spent on waiting instead of on the road.
NIMBY type of thought is rare – actually I applaud to people who did protest since it is the only very few cases when people do fight for damage of their “back yard”. In most cases, people just have the mentality that my home is the government’s backyard, and they can do anything, including drive me away, since it is THEIR property anyway. Now, this is changed, although it is just the beginning of the change.
@stephen, it is not 30 km tube in one year, it is more than 100 km tube, and more than 100 metro stations in one year… That is huge project. This year is also the most terrible year in road system in Shanghai – there are metro station construction site almost everywhere you go.
The Metro Line under construction in Pudong IS the extension of Metro Line #2. They also moved the current Zhangjiang Station to underground, so big portion of the Metro in Pudong are also underground metro…
I also thought about the possibility of just skipping metro and use Maglev, just improve the transition, but when I drive to that area, I found out that Metro is needed anyway – there are vast area with heavy population like Chuansha along the line.
I went this time to Zhangjiang just to take a photo of the above ground station. The new (underground) Zhangjiang is a crossing further east. New Line 2 stops will be like the new Line 8 (Phase II) stops, with above-ground island platforms (like the Lines 3 & 4 part of Zhongshan Park station).
The Line 2 extension will have two stops at Chuansha (Chuansha itself and East Chuansha). I am hoping it will use 8-car trainset-compatible platforms throughout, because Pudong is going to be one big airport in the future (they are thinking of even more additions)!
I was on line 2 today and noticed the sticker/maps on the trains already had the east side of the line ending at the Pudong Airport and the west side of the line ending… (can’t remember)… a few stops past the Hongqiao airport.
The main signs in the hallways and platforms still have the same end stops as before (Songhong Road in the west and Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park on the east).
Are the new stops already open?? Very exciting for Shanghai.
i want go to shanghai hongqiao railway station to pudong airport by metro train please tell me rute