Shanghai Metro 13 Opens Child-Friendly Ticket Gates for Young Riders

Anyone who has taken the Metro with a child knows the routine: lifting them to tap through the gate, passing them across first, or worrying they might get caught between the barriers during rush hour.

The familiar hassle has quietly disappeared at the Shanghai Natural History Museum station on Metro Line 13.

Child-friendly ticket gates have been in place at the station this month for travelers who are 1.3 meters or less. The gates remain open, allowing fare-free children to enter and exit the station independently.

Cao Ying, the station manager, said that they have recently installed these child gates instead of repurposing existing ones. This station is the first pilot site in the city to implement the new system.

The station, next to the Shanghai Natural History Museum, is popular with families on weekends. The new gates address safety and children's independence in public spaces, according to Cao.

Children previously struggled with standard gates, often forcing parents to seek help from staff, Cao said. "Now they can walk through on their own, confidently."

Bright cartoon animals and plants form an unmistakable arch above them. Station staff say children quickly notice the designs and head straight for the child gate after security checks, sometimes before their parents notice.

Parents say the change has made trips noticeably smoother. One parent who had just visited the Natural History Museum with her three-and-a-half-year-old son said that in the past, she had to either carry her child or carefully guide him through the gate first.

"Now he walks through by himself. It gives him a sense of participation – and it's much easier for us," she said.

The child-friendly approach extends beyond ticket gates. The station also features a family restroom equipped with diaper-changing facilities, child-sized toilets, and low sinks, allowing caregivers and children to use the space together, regardless of gender.

Child-voiced announcements have been added as well, replacing standard alerts with softer, more accessible cues.