8-carriage train to boost Line 2 capacity in Shanghai

BEIJING, April 29 -- An eight-car subway train will be put into operation on Metro Line 2 in Shanghai tomorrow to alleviate crowds during the May Day holiday, Youth Daily reported today.

A total of 21 eight-car trains will be added this year to boost capacity, the report said.

The new subway cars, jointly manufactured by Shanghai Alstom Company and Nanjing Puzhen Metro Train Company, have a capacity of about 550 passengers, about 30 percent more than ones already in use, according to previous reports.

Five of the trains have been transferred to the city and are awaiting trials, the report said.

The city's Metro operator already replaced some six-car trains on Line 1 in early April with eight-car ones, the report said.

A total of 137 trains will be added to eight Metro lines before 2010, the report said.

An estimated 3.1 million passengers will use the city's Metro lines during the three-day May Day holiday, which was cut short from the original seven days after the central government altered its holiday schedule last year.

The lines are expected to provide 7,466 runs from April 30 to May 3, a 24-percent increase from the same period last year, the report said.

Line 2 is expected to serve 830,000 passengers during the holiday, the report said.

Metro operators have also issued 306,000 more tickets to meet growing demand and will open ticket booths during rush hours, the report said.

Shanghai plans to build 10 new Metro lines between 2005 and 2012, stretching 389 kilometers. The subway network is expected to span 510 kilometers by 2012.

(Source: Shanghai Daily)