Shanghai Maglev Train 上海磁浮示范运营线
150px Maglev train coming out of the Pudong International Airport in Shanghai
Background
Transit type	Magnetic levitation
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	2
Operation
Began operation	January 1, 2004
Operator(s)	Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd.
Technical
System length	30.5 km (18.95 mi)

The Shanghai Maglev Train or Shanghai Transrapid (Chinese: 上海磁浮示范运营线; literally "Shanghai Maglev Demonstration Operation Line") is a magnetic levitation train, or maglev line that operates in Shanghai, China. It is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line in the world. The train line was designed to connect Shanghai Pudong International Airport and the outskirts of central Pudong where passengers could interchange to the Shanghai Metro to continue their trip to the city center.

Construction of the line began in 1 March 2001^[1] and public commercial service commenced on 1 January 2004. The top operational commercial speed of this train is 431 km/h (268 mph), making it the world's fastest train in regular commercial services since its opening in 2004, faster than TGV in France and also faster than the latest CRH conventional wheel train in China at 350 km/h (217 mph). During a non-commercial test run on 12 November 2003, a maglev train achieved a Chinese record speed of 501 km/h (311 mph).^[2] The top operational speed of 431 km/h (268 mph) is also faster than the top speed of any Formula One car.

The train set and tracks were built by Siemens. The electrification of the train was developed by VAHLE, Inc.^[3] Two commercial maglev systems had predated the Shanghai system—the Birmingham Maglev in the United Kingdom and the Berlin M-Bahn—both were low-speed operations and had closed before the opening of the Shanghai Maglev Train.

The line is often considered part of the Shanghai Metro network, although there is a separate fare system.

Background[link]

Overview of Shanghai Maglev route

Longyang Road maglev station

The line runs from Longyang Road station in Pudong to Pudong International Airport; The Pudong International Airport station provides a transfer to Line 2, but the Longyang Road station provides access to Line 2 and Line 7. At full speed, the journey takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the distance of 30 km (18.6 mi), although some trains in the early morning and late afternoon take about 50 seconds longer. A train can reach 350 km/h (217 mph) in 2 minutes, with the maximum normal operation speed of 431 km/h (268 mph) reached thereafter.

Hans-Dieter Bott, vice president of Siemens when they won the contract to build the rail link, stated that "Transrapid views the Shanghai line, where the ride will last just eight minutes, largely as a sales tool. This serves as a demonstration for China to show that this works and can be used for longer distances, such as Shanghai to Beijing".^[4] However, the decision was eventually made to implement the Beijing-Shanghai Express Railway with conventional high-speed technology, and to build maglev tracks for the shorter Shanghai-Hangzhou trip instead.

Operation[link]

Shanghai Maglev "driver" in the train cabin

Shanghai Maglev VIP cabin interior

The line is operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd. As of May 2008^[update], the line operates daily from 6:45 AM to 9:30 PM, with services every 8 to 10 minutes. A one-way ticket costs ¥50 (US$7.27), or ¥40 ($5.81) for those passengers holding a receipt or proof of an airline ticket purchase. A round-trip return ticket costs ¥80 ($11.63) and VIP tickets cost double the standard fare.

Following the opening, overall maglev train ridership levels were at 20% of capacity.^[5] The levels were attributed to limited operating hours, the short length of the line, high ticket prices and that it "virtually goes nowhere", terminating at Longyang Road in Pudong another 20 min by subway from the city centre.^[5]

Construction[link]

The Shanghai Transrapid project took ¥10 billion (US$1.33bn) and two and a half years to complete. The line is 30.5 km (18.95 mi) track and has a further separate track leading to a maintenance facility.

Extensions[link]

In January 2006, the Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train extension project was proposed by the Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau. The extension would continue the existing line towards Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, running via Shanghai South Railway Station and the Expo 2010 site, with a possible continuation towards Hangzhou. The extension would allow transferring between the two airports — located 55 km (34 mi) apart — in approximately 15 minutes.

The plan for the extension to Hangzhou was first approved by the central government in February 2006, with a planned date of completion in time for 2010. Work was suspended in 2008, owing to public protests over radiation fears.^[6] According to China Daily, as reported on People's Daily Online 27 February 2009, the Shanghai municipal government is considering building the maglev line underground to allay the public's fear of electromagnetic pollution and the final decision on the maglev line had to be approved by the National Development and Reform commission.

Another approval was granted in March 2010, with construction to begin in late 2010.^[7] The new link was to be 199.5 km (124 mi) long, 24 km (15 mi) longer than the original plan. The top speed is expected to be 450 km/h (280 mph) but limited to 200 km/h (124 mph) in built-up areas.

However, in October 2010 the non-maglev Shanghai–Hangzhou High-Speed Railway was opened, bringing travelling time between the two cities down to 45 minutes. Plans for a Maglev link have been suspended again.^[8]

Incidents[link]

On 11 August 2006, a Maglev train compartment caught fire at 2:40 p.m., after having left Pudong International Airport in the direction of Pudong Longyang Road Station. There were no injuries aboard. Preliminary reports indicated that an electrical problem may have been the cause.

Stations[link]

See also[link]

	Shanghai portal
	Trains portal

• Magnetic levitation
• Maglev

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shanghai Maglev Train

• Official site of Shanghai Maglev Train
• Shanghai Maglev Train Tickets & Fare & Timetable & Notice & Transport

Coordinates: 31°12′14″N 121°33′14″E / 31.20389°N 121.55389°E / 31.20389; 121.55389

v t e Rapid transit in China MRT & LRT In operation Beijing Subway Suburban Rail Changchun Chengdu Chongqing Dalian Metro Trams Guangzhou Foshan Hong Kong MTR LRT Nanjing Shanghai Metro Maglev Zhangjiang Tram Shenyang Shenzhen Suzhou Tianjin Wuhan Xi'an Under construction Changsha Fuzhou Guiyang Dongguan Hangzhou Harbin Hefei Kunming Macau Nanchang Nanning Ningbo Qingdao Ürümqi Wenzhou Wuxi Zhengzhou Planned Changzhou Datong Haikou Huizhou Hohhot Jiaxing Jinan Kunshan Lanzhou Luoyang Mudanjiang Quanzhou Shijiazhuang Taiyuan Weifang Xiamen Xuzhou Yinchuan Zibo Zhuhai BRT In operation Hangzhou Beijing Kunming Changzhou Xiamen Jinan Zaozhuang Zhengzhou Guangzhou Dalian Chongqing Hefei Ürümqi Under construction Shanghai Shenzhen Wuxi Xi'an Shenyang Transport in the People's Republic of China Rail transport in the People's Republic of China

Shanghai 上海
—  Municipality  —
Municipality of Shanghai • 上海市
Clockwise from top: A view of the Pudong skyline; Yuyuan Garden, China Pavilion along with the Expo Axis, neon signs on Nanjing Road, and The Bund
Location of Shanghai Municipality within China
Coordinates: 31°12′N 121°30′E / 31.2°N 121.5°E / 31.2; 121.5Coordinates: 31°12′N 121°30′E / 31.2°N 121.5°E / 31.2; 121.5
Country	People's Republic of China
Settled	5th–7th century
Incorporated  - Town	751
- County	1292
- Municipality	7 July 1927
Divisions  - County-level  - Township- level	16 districts, 1 county 210 towns and subdistricts
Government
• Type	Municipality
• CPC Ctte Secretary	Yu Zhengsheng
• Mayor	Han Zheng
Area[1][2]
• Municipality	6,340.5 km2 (2,448.1 sq mi)
• Water	697 km2 (269 sq mi)
Elevation[3]	4 m (13 ft)
Population (2010)[4]
• Municipality	23,019,148
• Density	3,600/km2 (9,400/sq mi)
Demonym	Shanghainese
Time zone	China standard time (UTC+8)
Postal code	200000 – 202100
Area code(s)	21
GDP[5]	2011
- Total	CNY 1.92 trillion US$ 297 billion (11th)
- Per capita	CNY 82,560 US$ 12,784 (2nd)
- Growth	8.2%
HDI (2008)	0.908 (1st) – very high
Licence plate prefixes	沪A, B, D, E, F,G ,H, J, K 沪C (outer suburbs)
City flower	Yulan magnolia
Website	www.shanghai.gov.cn

This article contains Chinese text. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Chinese characters.

Shanghai is the largest city by population of the People's Republic of China (PRC)^[6][7] and the largest city proper by population in the world.^[8] It is one of the four province-level municipalities of the PRC, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010.^[4] It is a global city, with influence in commerce, culture, finance, media, fashion, technology, and transport. It is a major financial center^[9] and the busiest container port in the world.^[10]

Located in the Yangtze River Delta in eastern China, Shanghai sits at the mouth of the Yangtze River in the middle portion of the Chinese coast. The municipality borders Jiangsu and Zhejiang Provinces to the west, and is bounded to the east by the East China Sea.^[11]

Once a fishing and textiles town, Shanghai grew in importance in the 19th century due to European recognition of its favorable port location and economic potential. The city was one of several opened to foreign trade following the British victory over China in the first opium war and the subsequent 1842 Treaty of Nanking which allowed the establishment of the Shanghai International Settlement. The city then flourished as a center of commerce between east and west, and became the undisputed financial hub of the Asia Pacific in the 1930s.^[12] However, with the Communist Party takeover of the mainland in 1949, the city's international influence declined. In the 1990s, the economic reforms introduced by Deng Xiaoping resulted in an intense re-development of the city, aiding the return of finance and foreign investment to the city.^[13]

Shanghai is a popular tourist destination renowned for its historical landmarks such as The Bund, City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden, as well as the extensive and growing Pudong skyline. It has been described as the "showpiece" of the booming economy of mainland China.^[14][15]

Etymology and names[link]

Shanghai
"Shanghai", as written in Chinese
Chinese	上海
Wu	Zaonhe
Literal meaning	above sea or on sea
Transcriptions Hakka - Romanization Sông-hói Mandarin - Hanyu Pinyin Shànghǎi Min - Hokkien POJ Siōng-hái - Min-dong BUC Siông-hāi Wu - Romanization Zaonhe - Shanghainese romanization Zånhae IPA: [z̥ɑ̃̀hé] Cantonese (Yue) - Jyutping soeng6hoi2

The two Chinese characters in the city's name are '上' ("above") and '海' ("sea"), together meaning "Upon-the-Sea". The earliest occurrence of this name dates from the 11th century Song Dynasty, at which time there was already a river confluence and a town with this name in the area. There are disputes as to exactly how the name should be interpreted, but Chinese historians have concluded that during the Tang Dynasty Shanghai was literally on the sea, hence the origin of the name.^[16] Older Chinese was written right-to-left, so a reversed order "海上" is sometimes used for terms related to Shanghainese art and culture.^{[citation needed]}

Shanghai is officially abbreviated 沪 (Hù) in Chinese,^[17] a contraction of 沪渎 (Hù Dú, lit "Harpoon Ditch"),^[18][19] a 4th or 5th century Jin name for the mouth of Suzhou Creek when it was the main conduit into the ocean.^[18] This character appears on all motor vehicle license plates issued in the municipality today.

An older name for Shanghai is Shēn (申), from Chunshen Jun (春申君), a nobleman and locally revered hero of the third-century BC state of Chu. From this, it is also called Shēnchéng (申城, "Shen City").^[18] Sports teams and newspapers in Shanghai often use this character in their names.

Another early name for Shanghai was Huating (华亭). In 751 AD, during the mid-Tang Dynasty, Huating County was established at modern-day Songjiang, the first county-level administration within modern-day Shanghai. Today, Huating appears as the name of a four-star hotel in the city.^[16]

The city has also has various nicknames in English, including "Paris of the East".^[20]

History[link]

The walled Old City of Shanghai.

Shanghai in the 1930's, with the Shanghai International Settlement and Shanghai French Concession.

During the Song Dynasty (AD 960–1279) Shanghai was upgraded in status from a village to a market town in 1074, and in 1172 a second sea wall was built to stabilize the ocean coastline, supplementing an earlier dyke.^[21] From the Yuan Dynasty in 1292 until Shanghai officially became a city in 1927, the area was designated merely as a county seat administered by the Songjiang prefecture.^[22]

Two important events helped promote Shanghai's development in the Ming Dynasty. A city wall was built for the first time in 1554 to protect the town from raids by Japanese pirates. It measured 10 metres high and 5 kilometres in circumference.^[23] During the Wanli reign (1573–1620), Shanghai received an important psychological boost from the erection of a City God Temple in 1602. This honour was usually reserved for places with the status of a city, such as a prefectural capital not normally given to a mere county town, as Shanghai was. It probably reflected the town's economic importance, as opposed to its low political status.^[23]

A view of the Bund in 1928

Nanjing Road in the 1930s

During the Qing Dynasty, Shanghai became one of the most important sea ports in the Yangtze Delta region as a result of two important central government policy changes: First, Emperor Kangxi (1662–1723) in 1684 reversed the previous Ming Dynasty prohibition on ocean going vessels – a ban that had been in force since 1525. Second, in 1732 Emperor Yongzheng moved the customs office for Jiangsu province (江海关; see Customs House, Shanghai) from the prefectural capital of Songjiang city to Shanghai, and gave Shanghai exclusive control over customs collections for Jiangsu Province's foreign trade. As a result of these two critical decisions, Professor Linda Cooke Johnson has concluded that by 1735 Shanghai had become the major trade port for all of the lower Yangtze River region, despite still being at the lowest administrative level in the political hierarchy.^[24]

A three dimensional diorama of the Bund as it would have appeared in the 1940s

International attention to Shanghai grew in the 19th century due to European recognition of its economic and trade potential at the Yangtze River. During the First Opium War (1839–1842), British forces occupied the city. The war ended with the 1842 Treaty of Nanjing, which allowed the British to dictate opening the treaty ports, Shanghai included, for international trade. The Treaty of the Bogue signed in 1843, and the Sino-American Treaty of Wanghia signed in 1844 forced Chinese concession to European and American desires for visitation and trade on Chinese soil. Britain, France, and the United States all carved out concessions outside the walled city of Shanghai, which was still ruled by the Chinese.

The Chinese-held old city of Shanghai fell to the rebels of the Small Swords Society in 1853 but was recovered by the Qing in February 1855.^[25] In 1854, the Shanghai Municipal Council was created to manage the foreign settlements. Between 1860–1862, the Taiping rebels twice attacked Shanghai and destroyed the city's eastern and southern suburbs, but failed to take the city.^[26] In 1863, the British settlement to the south of Suzhou Creek (northern Huangpu District) and the American settlement to the north (southern Hongkou District) joined in order to form the Shanghai International Settlement. The French opted out of the Shanghai Municipal Council and maintained its own concession to the south and southwest.

A baby crying in the ruins of a Shanghai Railway Station bombed by the Japanese in August 1937

Citizens of many countries and all continents came to Shanghai to live and work during the ensuing decades; those who stayed for long periods – some for generations – called themselves "Shanghailanders".^[27] In the 1920s and 1930s, almost 20,000 White Russians and Russian Jews fled the newly established Soviet Union and took up residence in Shanghai. These Shanghai Russians constituted the second-largest foreign community. By 1932, Shanghai had become the world's fifth largest city and home to 70,000 foreigners.^[28] In the 1930s, some 30,000 Jewish refugees from Europe arrived in the city.^[29]

The Sino-Japanese War concluded with the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which elevated Japan to become another foreign power in Shanghai. Japan built the first factories in Shanghai, which were soon copied by other foreign powers. Shanghai was then the most important financial center in the Far East. All this international activity gave Shanghai the nickname "the Great Athens of China"^[30]

Site of the First National Congress of the Communist Party of China, a typical shikumen building

Under the Republic of China (1911–1949), Shanghai's political status was finally raised to that of a municipality on 14 July 1927. Although the territory of the foreign concessions was excluded from their control, this new Chinese municipality still covered an area of 828.8 square kilometers, including the modern-day districts of Baoshan, Yangpu, Zhabei, Nanshi, and Pudong. Headed by a Chinese mayor and municipal council, the new city governments first task was to create a new city-center in Jiangwan town of Yangpu district, outside the boundaries of the foreign concessions. This new city-center was planned to include a public museum, library, sports stadium, and city hall.^[31]

On 28 January 1932, Japanese forces struck and the Chinese resisted, fighting to a standstill; a ceasefire was brokered in May. The Battle of Shanghai in 1937 resulted in the occupation of the Chinese administered parts of Shanghai outside of the International Settlement and the French Concession. The International Settlement was occupied by the Japanese on 8 December 1941 and remained occupied until Japan's surrender in 1945, during which time war crimes were committed.^[32]

On 27 May 1949, the People's Liberation Army took control of Shanghai, which was one of only three former Republic of China (ROC) municipalities not merged into neighboring provinces over the next decade (the others being Beijing and Tianjin).^[33] Shanghai underwent a series of changes in the boundaries of its subdivisions, especially in the next decade. After 1949, most foreign firms moved their offices from Shanghai to Hong Kong, as part of an exodus of foreign investment due to the Communist victory.

During the 1950s and 1960s, Shanghai became an industrial center and center for radical leftism; the leftist Jiang Qing and her three cohorts, together the Gang of Four, were based in the city.^[34] Yet, even during the most tumultuous times of the Cultural Revolution, Shanghai was able to maintain high economic productivity and relative social stability. In most of the history of the People's Republic of China (PRC), in order to funnel wealth to the rural areas, Shanghai has been a comparatively heavy contributor of tax revenue to the central government. This came at the cost of severely crippling Shanghai's infrastructural and capital development. Its importance to the fiscal well-being of the central government also denied it economic liberalizations begun in 1978. Shanghai was finally permitted to initiate economic reforms in 1991, starting the massive development still seen today and the birth of Lujiazui in Pudong.

Geography[link]

The Yangtze River Delta is shown in green in this map of Shanghai (on the east at center) alongside the neighboring provinces of Jiangsu (to the north and west) and Zhejiang (to the south and west). Parts of Jiangsu and Zhejiang which are outside the Yangtze River Delta are shown in yellow. Provincial boundaries are shown in purple, sub-provincial boundaries in grey.

The urban area of Shanghai can be seen in this natural-color satellite image (Landsat-7 2005-08-15).

Shanghai sits on the Yangtze River Delta on China's eastern coast, and is roughly equidistant from Beijing and Hong Kong. The municipality as a whole consists of a peninsula between the Yangtze and Hangzhou Bay, mainland China's second-largest island Chongming, and a number of smaller islands. It is bordered on the north and west by Jiangsu Province, on the south by Zhejiang Province, and on the east by the East China Sea. The city proper is bisected by the Huangpu River, a tributary of the Yangtze. The historic center of the city, the Puxi area, is located on the western side of the Huangpu, while the newly developed Pudong, containing the central financial district Lujiazui, was developed on the eastern bank.

The vast majority of Shanghai's 6,340.5 km² (2,448.1 sq mi) land area is flat, apart from a few hills in the southwest corner, with an average elevation of 4 m (13 ft).^[3] The city's location on the flat alluvial plain has meant that new skyscrapers must be built with deep concrete piles to stop them from sinking into the soft ground. The highest point is at the peak of Dajinshan Island at 103 m (338 ft).^[3] The city has many rivers, canals, streams and lakes and is known for its rich water resources as part of the Taihu drainage area.^[2]

Climate[link]

Shanghai has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) and experiences four distinct seasons. Winters are chilly and damp, and cold northwesterly winds from Siberia can cause nighttime temperatures to drop below freezing, although most years there are only one or two days of snowfall. Summers are hot and humid, with an average of 8.7 days exceeding 35 °C (95 °F) annually; occasional downpours or freak thunderstorms can be expected. The city is also susceptible to typhoons in summer and the beginning of autumn, none of which in recent years has caused considerable damage.^[35] The most pleasant seasons are Spring, although changeable and often rainy, and Autumn, which is generally sunny and dry. The city averages 4.2 °C (39.6 °F) in January and 27.9 °C (82.2 °F) in July, for an annual mean of 16.1 °C (61.0 °F). Shanghai experiences on average 1,878 hours of sunshine per year, with the hottest temperature ever recorded at 40.2 °C (104 °F), and the lowest at −12.1 °C (10 °F).^[36]