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The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

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Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#11

Post by pimlottc »

raptium wrote: post #5
leejo wrote: post #3

I spent the weekend in Shanghai a couple of months ago and used the Metro to get around. It was modern, clean, on time, easy, and cheap - around €10 for an unlimited 72 hour pass. I was astonished by its sprawl, some lines over 50km and one close to 100km. It felt like it dwarfs London's tube. Criticisms? It was clearly at or near capacity, which I guess explains the rapid growth. There was a mass of security theatre…

> It seemed difficult (impossible?) to pay with anything but cash That's true and it is not convenient for visitors. Local people usually just use public transportation card (magnetic/contact-less smart card) everyday and don't have to pay with cash (you can charge the card with credit card or Alipay). Some station gates also support paying with NFC smartphones (eg. Xiaomi), and I think that's modern :-)

It's not too hard, with a bit of diligence (and a phrasebook), to get a contactless card as a foreigner. Although it is still easiest to add value with cash through one of the station attendant booths.

Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#12

Post by MachinShinn- »

cilea wrote: post #6

I stayed in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Taipei over the summer last year. Taipei's metro is the best overall; certainly not as crowded as the other two. Convenience is about the same, i.e. payable by cash-loading debit cards. Tokyo's metro have gotten old. I honestly think, a couple of Tokyo's underground lines need to be replaced. Just remember, no food allowed in transit.

Don't expect much replacement in Tokyo. Japan is in maintenance mode as its population ages and shrinks over the next century.

Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#16

Post by jjgod »

leejo wrote: post #3

I spent the weekend in Shanghai a couple of months ago and used the Metro to get around. It was modern, clean, on time, easy, and cheap - around €10 for an unlimited 72 hour pass. I was astonished by its sprawl, some lines over 50km and one close to 100km. It felt like it dwarfs London's tube. Criticisms? It was clearly at or near capacity, which I guess explains the rapid growth. There was a mass of security theatre…

> There was a mass of security theatre, X-ray machines at the entrances to some (most?) lines but lots of people were just ignoring the attendants and walking quickly passed the machines without having their bags checked.

Yes, that’s the main difference between Beijing and Shanghai’s metro system. In Beijing, there is no way to avoid security check and everyone obeys, while Shanghai didn’t enforce that and everyone learned to ignore that.

Then again, there are people arguing that the security measures in neither systems are very effective.

Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#17

Post by lacampbell »

leejo wrote: post #3

I spent the weekend in Shanghai a couple of months ago and used the Metro to get around. It was modern, clean, on time, easy, and cheap - around €10 for an unlimited 72 hour pass. I was astonished by its sprawl, some lines over 50km and one close to 100km. It felt like it dwarfs London's tube. Criticisms? It was clearly at or near capacity, which I guess explains the rapid growth. There was a mass of security theatre…

It always makes me think about how when cities or nations get more wealth, they seem to value different things. Wealthier East Asian cities consistently have great public transport.

Is it just a population density thing, that there's so many people zipping around in such a small area that it pays off to spend the money on infrastructure? Is it a lower cost of labour thing? Or is it a thing that people value more and demand? I'm never quite sure.

Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#18

Post by lacampbell »

cilea wrote: post #6

I stayed in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Taipei over the summer last year. Taipei's metro is the best overall; certainly not as crowded as the other two. Convenience is about the same, i.e. payable by cash-loading debit cards. Tokyo's metro have gotten old. I honestly think, a couple of Tokyo's underground lines need to be replaced. Just remember, no food allowed in transit.

Taipeis metro blew my mind when I first encountered it as well. And yeap, no eating, no drinking water, and they also have signs telling you not to talk on your cellphone.

Re: The Evolution of China's Metro Systems

#19

Post by lacampbell »

MachinShinn- wrote: post #12
cilea wrote: post #6

I stayed in Shanghai, Tokyo, and Taipei over the summer last year. Taipei's metro is the best overall; certainly not as crowded as the other two. Convenience is about the same, i.e. payable by cash-loading debit cards. Tokyo's metro have gotten old. I honestly think, a couple of Tokyo's underground lines need to be replaced. Just remember, no food allowed in transit.

Don't expect much replacement in Tokyo. Japan is in maintenance mode as its population ages and shrinks over the next century.

Same will be true for China and Taiwan as well, very shortly. I hope for their sake they're paying close attention to how Japan has dealt with a shrinking population - Japan really has been the "pioneer" in a process that all countries will have to inevitably go through.
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