Line 13 expands, more trains on Line 7

TRACK construction on the second and third phases of Metro Line 13 was completed yesterday and trial operations will commence before the end of the year, local Metro operator announced.

To finish construction on time, more than 1,100 workers and 100 machines took part in the project, said Shanghai Shentong Metro Group.

An advanced track-laying machine was also used for the first time on China’s mainland. Traditional track layers can finish 33.9 meters of track a day, but the new machine can lay 50 meters.

Utilizing this new technology will also mean passengers on Line 13 will find train rides smoother and more balanced.

The second and third phases of Line 13 cover 15.3 kilometers and 12 stations. After completion, Line 13 will stop at 31 stations between Jiading District and the Pudong New Area.

Meanwhile, the Metro operator is also making efforts to improve capacity during rush hours.

Starting today, Line 7 will put four more trains into service during morning rush hours to ease congestion.

Metro rush hours are work days from 7am until 9am and 5pm until 7pm. No extra trains will be added to the evening rush hours.

With the new trains added, waiting times between Shangda Road and Yanggao Road S. stations will be reduced from 4 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds during morning rush hours. Waits between other stations on the line will be reduced from 6 minutes and 40 seconds to 4 minutes.

This upgrade will not change the schedule of the first and last trains on Line 7, Metro operators said.