By Subway
The subway is a speedy, safe, comfortable and convenient means of transportation for traveling around Shanghai. The main attractions and bustling commercial areas such as the Bund, Longhua Temple, Nanjing Road, Huaihai Road and Xujiahui can be reached by several subway lines.

At present, Shanghai has five subway lines in operation, totaling approximately 145 kilometers (about 90 miles). Subway Lines 1 to 5 currently make up about 13% of the city's mass transit system and greatly improve traffic around the city.

The subway system has introduced electronic ticketing so you should carry some change. A single journey ticket, valid for two hours, can be bought at a ticket dispenser or from a ticket booth. The charge is proportional to mileage with a ceiling price of CNY 9. The ticket price of Subway Line 5 is CNY 2 - 3 while the charge of the other four lines is CNY 3 for the first six kilometers (about 3.7 miles), and CNY 1 for each extra ten kilometers (6.2 miles).

A Shanghai Public Transportation Card is also available and convenient. The card can be used not only on the subway, but also on some public buses, ferries, and even taxies. It costs CNY 100, including a CNY 30 deposit and CNY 70 for use. The card can be used repeatedly and you can deposit more money in it at designated subway stations, bus stations, banks, or stores.

For tourists, a souvenir ticket is a good choice. The ticket is valid for one year and can be bought at several designated subway stations. You can only take the train once on certain lines. When getting out of the station, the ticket will be returned to you as a souvenir.

Here is a map of Shanghai Subway for your reference, including the present five lines, several lines under construction, and lines still being programmed. The names of the stations which are under construction or proposed are temporary names.

Subway Line 1, the first subway in Shanghai, is the north-south trunk line in the city's transportation network. Starting from Gongfu Xincun Subway Station (6:00 - 22:30) in the northern Baoshan District, the line runs southwards, passing Shanghai Railway Station, People's Square, Hengshan Road, Huaihai Road, and Xujiahui, and finally getting to Shenzhuang Station (5:30 - 22:20) in the southern Minhang District. The present line with a length of 33 kilometers (about 20.5 miles) will be extended north to Chongming in the future. People's Square Station and Shenzhuang Station are the main transfer stations.

Subway Line 2 is a west-east line linking the west Changning District and the east Pudong New District. Line 2 runs between the west Songhong Rd. Station (5:42 - 22:53) and the east Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park Station (6:28 - 22:30), passing the People's Square in the city center, the bustling East Nanjing Road, the Bund, Huangpu River, and Lujiazui Financial and Trade Zone. This line will soon be extended west to Hongqiao International Airport.

At Longyang Rd. Station near the east end of Subway Line 2, the fast Shanghai Maglev Train (SMT) can take you to Pudong International Airport within eight minutes. The train operates every day from 7:00 to 21:00 at an interval of 15 minutes. It costs CNY 50 one-way (economic) and CNY 100 for VIP, CNY 80 round-trip (economic) and CNY 160 for VIP.

Subway Line 3 was formerly known as the Pearl Line (Mingzhu Line). Now it is a north-south line from North Jiangyang Rd. Station (5:30 - 21:40) in the northern Baoshan District to Shanghai South Railway Station (5:55 - 21:24) in Xuhui District, passing Jiangwan Town, Hongkou Football Stadium, and Shanghai Railway Station. Line 3 will be extended to Baosteel Group in the near future.

Subway Line 4 is designed as a ring line in the city's subway network. At present, it is a C-shaped line from Damuqiao Rd. Station (5:33 - 21:03) in Puxi Area to Lancun Rd. Station (5:55 - 21:40) in Pudong New District, including a section of line sharing with Subway Line 3. The remaining part of the ring is under construction and will be completed in 2007.

Subway Line 5, the first light rail line in China, has been in operation since 2003. It begains from Shenzhuang Station (6:00 - 22:20), the end point of Subway Line 1, and runs southwards to Tianxing Rd. Station in Minhang Development Zone (6:00 - 22:00).

From Monday to Friday, the intervals between subway trains usually are 3 - 5 minutes in the morning rush hour between 7:00 and 9:30, and 4 - 6 minutes in the evening rush hour between 16:30 and 19:30. During other periods of time or on weekends, the intervals will be slightly longer.

Future Shanghai Subway
By the end of the year 2007, Shanghai will have eight subway lines, totaling over 230 kilometers (about 143 miles). The ring line, Subway Line 4, and Line 6, Line 8 (Part 1), and Line 9 (Part 1) will be completed. Subway Line 6 in Pudong New District will operate between the north Gangcheng Rd. Station and the south Jiyang Rd. Station. It will be a great benefit to the residents in Pudong. Subway Line 8 (Part 1) will be an important north-south line from Shiguang Rd. Station in northern Yangpu District to Yaohua Rd. Station in Pudong New District, passing seven districts of Shanghai. Additionally Line 8 will be extended south to Pujiang Town in the future. Subway Line 9 (Part 1) will run from Songjiang Xincheng Station in the southwest Songjiang District to Guilin Rd. Station in Xuhui District near the city center.

In 2009, Subway Line 7, running between Jinqiu Rd. Station in the northwest Baoshan District and Fangdian Rd. Station in the southeast Pudong New District, will be in operation. At that time, the line will be very helpful for passengers traveling to the venue of the 2010 World Expo, which is near the Fadian Rd. Station in Pudong.

In 2010, Line 9 will be extended northeast to Middle Yanggao Rd. Station in Pudong. Subway Line 10 will be in operation. It will run from New Jiangwan City Station in the northeast Yangpu District to Hongqiao Airport in the west of Shanghai, passing Huaihai Road, Nanjing Road, Sichuan Road, Laoximen Area, and Yuyuan Garden in the city center, so it will be easy for passengers to make transfers to other subway trains or buses. Subway Line 11 (Part 1), the north part of the whole line, will be completed before the World Expo. It will run between Jiading North Station in the northwest Jiading District and Jiangsu Rd. Station in Changning District. Later on, it will be extended southeast to Sanlin in Pudong.

In that way, Shanghai will have 11 subway lines in 2010, totaling about 400 kilometers (about 250 miles) and making up over 35% of the city's mass transit. The subway transportation network, especially Line 7 and Line 8, will facilitate the World Expo.