Shanghai Extends Metro Hours, Adjusts Airport Line as New Year Travel Ramps Up

Shanghai will see more traffic during the three-day New Year holiday from January 1 to 3. Get a quick overview of metro, rail, and road travel.

Extended metro operating hours

Shanghai Metro will extend operating hours on six lines from December 31 to January 3, while making service adjustments on the suburban airport railway, the operator said on Tuesday.

From December 31 to January 3, Lines 1, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 13 will run later than usual to accommodate heavier late-night travel.

Several central stations will be temporarily closed due to New Year's events and traffic controls. From 8pm on December 31 until the end of service, Nanjing Rd E. Station on Lines 2 and 10, as well as Yuyuan Station on Line 14, will suspend passenger entry and exit. Trains will pass through these stations without stopping.

While Yuyuan Station on Line 14 will close, the stop on Line 10 will continue to operate as usual, according to Metro authorities.

A return-travel peak is expected on January 3. To ease congestion, Lines 2 and 17 will add late-night services toward the Hongqiao transport hub, with some trains running until around midnight. A pilot program will also expand overnight stopping points on selected lines, depending on passenger demand.

Longer airport link trains

Service changes are also planned on the Airport Link Line.

Starting this Wednesday, some trains will run with eight carriages, instead of the current four.

When "4+4" trains are in service, platform doors 11 and 12 in the middle section of the platform will remain closed. Commuters are advised to follow station signs and announcements and adjust their waiting positions accordingly.

Metro officials said passenger flows are expected to fluctuate significantly during the holiday period, and travelers are encouraged to check the metro's official app and in-station information for real-time service updates.

Since it was put into operation on December 17 last year, the airport link has handled more than 15.6 million passengers, with a daily average of about 42,800.

Starting with 33,400 passengers on its opening day, the passenger flow has maintained an upward trend and hit a record high of 68,100 on October 8 this year, the end of the National Day Holiday, marking the highest single-day ridership since its launch.

Among all stations along the line, Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station, Pudong Terminal 1 and 2 Station, and Jinghong Road Station rank the top three in terms of average daily inbound passenger flow.

According to the operator, the line has become an important part of the city's traffic network, instead of just serving airline passengers, with daily commuters accounting for 30 percent of its riders.

Highway tolls in effect

Transportation authorities announced that Shanghai's highways will not be toll-free during the New Year holiday, despite an expected surge in traffic.

The city's traffic control center predicts 1.32 million to 1.37 million vehicles on Shanghai's expressways during the three-day holiday, a marginal increase from last year.

The average daily traffic at provincial boundary checkpoints is predicted to climb by 19 to 27 percent from last year to 710,000 to 760,000 cars.

The night before the holiday and New Year's Day, especially between 5pm and 8pm, should see more outbound traffic. Highways like the G2 Beijing-Shanghai, G40 Shanghai-Yangzhou, G1503 Shanghai Ring, and G60 Shanghai-Kunming will likely be congested.

A peak return travel is expected on January 3. From 3pm to 7pm, inbound traffic on numerous important expressways may slow down or become congested.

In bad weather, motorists should watch real-time traffic reports and plan travel times and routes.

Rail: Passenger Volumes Expected to Rise

Shanghai's rail network is expected to handle more than 2.2 million passengers from December 31 to January 4, up 10.4 percent from last year, according to railway authorities.

January 1 will see the most departures (570,000), and January 3 the most returns.

To cope with holiday demand, railway authorities have added 76 extra services, including 14 late-night high-speed trains running between midnight and 5am, most of them departing from Shanghai Hongqiao Railway Station.

Capacity will be adjusted dynamically based on real-time demand, including by adding extra trains and increasing capacity on existing services, authorities said.

Rail officials also reminded passengers that renovation work is ongoing at the south entrance of Shanghai Railway Station, recommending the use of the north square where possible.