Taking a ride on the Shanghai Metro subway system is a good reminder on why I hate rush hour. With a population of 20 million, it’s pretty much rush hour all the time in Shanghai. The Metro moves 4 million people every day to and from their destinations.
Shanghai is the third city in China to build a subway system (Beijing and Tianjin are the other two). The Metro is one of the world’s most rapidly expanding subway systems, currently with eight lines, and has more new lines under construction, along with proposed extensions to the lines currently in operation. The network of the system has outpaced the Hong Kong MTR as of December 2007.
Riding the Metro cost 3RBM for journeys under 6 km, then 1RMB for each additional 10 km, to the highest fare of 9RBM. That means you can ride from one end of Shanghai to the other end for about $1.25 USD. Inexpensive, yes. However, be prepared to feel like a sardine.
