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Shanghai Transportation

1:Shanghai Subway Station
The Shanghai Metro is an urban rapid transit system that serves the city of Shanghai with an average daily ridership of 2.18 million in 2007. The system incorporates both subways and elevated light railways. As new metro lines are opened, passenger volumes are expected to rise significantly. A daily ridership record of 3.82 million passengers was set on April 30, 2008.

Shanghai is the third city in the People's Republic of China to build a subway system after Beijing and Tianjin, and its metro system has the most lines in operation in Mainland China. The network of the system has outpaced Hong Kong MTR as of December 2007. One of the world's newest, most rapidly expanding subway systems, the Shanghai Metro currently operates eight lines, and has more new lines under construction, along with proposed extensions to the lines currently in operation. Three new lines - Line 6, 8 and 9 - opened in late 2007, along with the final four stations needed to complete the entire portion of Line 4 as well as the northern extension of Line 1 . These new and extended lines opened at the same time on December 29, 2007 with a ceremony at the newly-built interchange hall of People's Square.

2: Shanghai Bus Station
Long-distance buses are also convenient when traveling to Shanghai, but most foreign travelers reserve this form of travel for short distances to nearby cities (Hangzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi and Ningbo).

3: Shanghai cruise port
Transportation via Shanghai's waterways is extremely convenient mostly due to its location on the estuary of the Yangtze River and the East China Sea. Passenger boats to Chengsi Island in Zhejiang province, Changxing Island, Chongming Island and Hengsha Island still run daily. There are also international passenger ship lines that travel to Ichon and Pusan of South Korea, as well as Osaka and Kobe of Japan

4: Shanghai Railway Station
The city of Shanghai has several railway stations, among which Shanghai Railway Station, Shanghai South Railway Station and Shanghai West Railway Station are the main ones. These three stations provide convenient transportation for tourists to many destinations throughout China.

A train journey from Shanghai to Beijing takes only 10 hours by 'D' trains (bullet trains with a D before the train numbers), about 12 hours by 'Z' trains (direct fast trains with a Z before the train numbers), 13.5 hours by 'T' trains (fast trains with a T before the train numbers), nearly 19 hours by 'K' trains (common trains with a K before the train numbers), and over 20 hours by slower trains that have no letter before the train numbers.

Train travel between Shanghai and some of the adjacent tourist destinations is both efficient and convenient. A train trip from Shanghai to Suzhou takes between 40 and 90 minutes, while a train journey from Shanghai to Hangzhou takes between 1.5 hours and 4 hours.

5: Shanghai Airport
Shanghai has two major airports: most international flights go through ultramodern Pudong International Airport (PVG), 45 km (30 mi) east of the city, wheras domestic routes operate out of the older Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), 15 km (9 mi) west of the city center.

Both Pudong and Hongqiao have a departure tax of Y90 for international flights and Y50 for domestic.You pay before check-in by purchasing a coupon from booths (near the check-in counters at Pudong, or just inside the terminal at Hongqiao); this coupon is collected at the entrance to the main departure hall.

Clearing customs and immigration can take a while, especially at overcrowded Pudong, so make sure you arrive at least two hours before your scheduled flight time. Check-in desks at Pudong are not always clearly signed, so bank on hunting around a little. Likewise, prepare for some exercise between immigration and the gate: this is one big airport, and there are few people movers. Hongqiao may look worn and tattered in comparison, but fewer passengers and smaller distances make both departure and arrival processes smoother and quicker. Indeed, many business travelers prefer to fly to Hongqiao.

At Pudong, both Chinese and Western-style fast-food outlets abound -- Starbucks and KFC are two names you'll recognize -- but quality is generally poor. Most are open from around 7 AM to 11 PM. Be warned that prices for even a soft drink vary wildly from place to place. Take ample distractions in case of delays: the shopping in both airports is poor, and even airline business-class lounges have limited Internet access and little entertainment.

While wandering either airport, someone may approach you offering to carry your luggage, or even just give you directions. This "helpful" stranger will almost certainly expect payment. Many of the X-ray machines used for large luggage items aren't film-safe, so keep film in your carry-on luggage.

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Shanghai--Tour.com (2008) Shanghai Local Tourism Information Site.