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Metro station closure plan sparks anger
By Dong Zhen and Xu Chi |
February 22, 2010, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AFTER preventing passengers from boarding trains at two Metro stations during morning rush hours over the weekend, the Metro operator yesterday said the plan was working and that it would not be changed due to complaints.
On Saturday, commuters were prevented from taking subway trains at the Wulian Road Station on Line 6 and the Quyang Road Station on Line 8 for about 60 minutes in the morning. The stations remained open for commuters getting off at those stops.
The moves were designed to ease overcrowding on these two lines.
Buses were in place outside both stations, but commuters were not impressed.
On kds.pchome.net, a popular online platform to exchange opinions, Xiao Jun wrote: "As residents living on Quyang Road, we have paid taxes for the construction of this Metro Line, but the operator deprived us of our right to use the service."
Others, saying they also live in the Quyang area, said it's sad they have to face such bad news right after the new year began.
A common complaint was that they feared taking the bus would make them late for work as road traffic is often bad during rush hours.
Yesterday morning at the Quyang Road Station, hundreds of commuters waited to catch trains as the station reopened at 8:20am, about 10 minutes earlier than on Saturday.
Metro management said the practice would be flexible and that the maximum closure time would be 70 minutes starting at 7:20am.
"The stations will reopen earlier when possible," said Huang Qiongnuo, a Metro management official.
"Currently there is no plan to change the practice as traffic on the two lines improved substantially over the weekend," Huang said.
Yin Wei, a Metro operator spokesman, said yesterday that the practice yielded the biggest result while affecting the fewest commuters.
"This is about a few people making a sacrifice to ensure benefits to all," Yin said.
The spokesman added that this was not the first time the Metro operator has restricted access to stations.
"This has been done before to improve rush-hour traffic," Yin said. "After careful studies, it was decided to make it a fixed practice at these two stations."
An industry insider said part of the problem was that carriages on lines 6 and 8 are smaller. They carry 30 percent fewer passengers than those on other lines, the source said.
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