Home » Metro » Public Services
Late-night Metros not as popular as predicted
By Zha Minjie |
May 10, 2010, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THERE are no plans to open more Metro stations after regular hours despite complaints from World Expo visitors, the subway's operator said yesterday.
The small passenger volume at night and concern over the limited time for maintenance after services end are the main reasons, according to officials from the Shanghai Shentong Group.
Service times were extended until after midnight on five lines and 12 stations close to Expo entrances from May 1 when the World Expo opened.
The 12 stations allow both entrance and exit while other stations along the five lines only allow exit.
Other stations are also off-limits for transfers after 10:30pm when the regular services usually end.
Visitors who stay late at the Expo site called for services to be extended at all major stations after some found they couldn't transfer to other Metro lines after normal hours.
"At first we expected that 50 percent of the visitors would leave the site at night via subways," said Tan Xiaowen, an official with the operator. "However, the actual volume was not large."
Tan said the trains running late at night did not have many passengers and there were plenty of empty seats.
But the operator is expecting a passenger increase now that visitors can buy night tickets to tour the Expo site.
The extra services run till after midnight on lines 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The interval between each train is about 15 minutes.
The extended services mean less time for maintenance work, Metro officials said.
Traffic authorities believe up to 50 percent of Expo visitors are expected to reach the site by the Metro, with daily passenger volume exceeding 5 million.
The five key lines are able to carry 100,000 visitors to Expo entrances every hour during peak periods.
Metro officials said the subway traffic was still relatively smooth one week after the Expo opened. During the 5-day May Day holiday, the Metro system carried about 600,000 passengers to and from the Expo site.
The small passenger volume at night and concern over the limited time for maintenance after services end are the main reasons, according to officials from the Shanghai Shentong Group.
Service times were extended until after midnight on five lines and 12 stations close to Expo entrances from May 1 when the World Expo opened.
The 12 stations allow both entrance and exit while other stations along the five lines only allow exit.
Other stations are also off-limits for transfers after 10:30pm when the regular services usually end.
Visitors who stay late at the Expo site called for services to be extended at all major stations after some found they couldn't transfer to other Metro lines after normal hours.
"At first we expected that 50 percent of the visitors would leave the site at night via subways," said Tan Xiaowen, an official with the operator. "However, the actual volume was not large."
Tan said the trains running late at night did not have many passengers and there were plenty of empty seats.
But the operator is expecting a passenger increase now that visitors can buy night tickets to tour the Expo site.
The extra services run till after midnight on lines 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9. The interval between each train is about 15 minutes.
The extended services mean less time for maintenance work, Metro officials said.
Traffic authorities believe up to 50 percent of Expo visitors are expected to reach the site by the Metro, with daily passenger volume exceeding 5 million.
The five key lines are able to carry 100,000 visitors to Expo entrances every hour during peak periods.
Metro officials said the subway traffic was still relatively smooth one week after the Expo opened. During the 5-day May Day holiday, the Metro system carried about 600,000 passengers to and from the Expo site.
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