Extra Metro trains to alleviate late-night travelers' Hongqiao woes

Shanghai's Metro Line No. 10 and No. 17 will operate extra trains for a month to further alleviate the struggle of late-night arriving travelers to leave the Hongqiao Transportation Hub and reach downtown during the ongoing summer peak time.

Metro Line 10 will have two more trains on Fridays after its usual finishing hour from August 4 to September 3. The two trains will start from Hongqiao Railway Station at 12:05am and 12:20am, respectively.

In addition, five more trains will leave from Hongqiao Railway Station at the fixed times of 11:15pm, 11:30pm; 11:45pm, 12am and 12:20am, respectively.

The extra trains on Line 10 will only allow passengers to get on and off the train at No. 2 Terminal and No. 1 Terminal stations of Hongqiao airport; and only off the trains for the rest of the stations.

Two more trains on Line 17 will be added after its usual finishing hour on Fridays and Sundays, which will start from Hongqiao Railway Station at 11:15pm and 11:30pm, respectively.

Here, too, the additional trains will only allow passengers to get on and off the trains at Hongqiao Railway Station, and only disembark from the trains for the rest of the stations.

The extra trains are meant to alleviate the struggle of late-night travelers leaving the Hongqiao Transportation Hub. The metro lines will resume their normal schedules after September 3, according to the city's metro operator.

Limited transportation options available late at night at the Hongqiao hub have drawn complaints from stranded travelers. According to previous reports, waiting time easily exceeds an hour at taxi hailing points after the last metro train at Hongqiao has departed.