Shanghai Public Transportation

Reader and map-maker Matt Mayer sent me some questions that came up during an update-in-progress of his cool Explore Shanghai metro map. Here were my answers:

> 1. Do you think Line 6 will open at the end of December along with lines 8 and 9?
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Yes, in fact for a while it was rumored to be opening at the end of November, but the estimate is now firmly set at the end of the year. My guess is that it will open on/around Friday the 28th of December as a "soft opening" to give it a weekend before its first Monday rush hour (the Line 2 western extension opened last year on Thursday the 28th, for that very reason).

> 2. Line 6 appears to have interchanges with Line 4 at Shiji Avenue and Lancun Road. Will there also be an interchange at Pudian Road? Or will Pudian Road be like Yishan Road, with two separated stations?
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Two separate stations, both on Pudian Road but one at Fushan Rd and the other at Dongfang Rd. They were originally going to be two separate stops with the same name, which wouldn't matter because they are only a couple blocks away from each other and because ticket prices would be the same from anywhere else in the metro system to either of the two Pudian Rd stations and vice versa. However, the latest plans say that a tunnel and commercial center are being built between the two so that in a year or two, when the project is finished, Pudian Rd will also become a Lines 4/6 exchange station, with a passageway of length to rival the by-then-gone People's Square Line 1/2 exchange passage. But that's still a year or two away. When Line 6 opens at the end of this year, the two stations will still be completely separate.

> 3. Will you be able to buy integrated tickets to stations on Line 9? Would that include a bus ride from Yishan Lu to Guilin Lu?
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That's still undecided. When it was announced that Yishan Rd would not be finished in time (sensitive topic on the BBSs... rumor has it that some of the neighbors being kicked out to make room for the construction wouldn't give up their homes), there were some assurances from the Metro company that special buses would connect Guilin Rd and Yishan Rd, and that the price would be the same as if the two stations were connected. There has been no further public news on this one.

According to Matt, his site will be up-to-date when Lines 6, 8 and 9 open in December. Way to go!