Plans to widen platforms at two crowded Metro stations

By Dong Zhen  |   2008-7-5  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

METRO operators plan to nearly double the width of platforms at Zhangjiang and Xinzhuang stations to ease overcrowding in rush hours.

Officials with Shanghai Metro Operation Co's control center told Shanghai Daily yesterday they had been alarmed by the crush of passengers at the two stations.

Metro Line 1's Xinzhuang Station and Line 2's Zhangjiang High-Tech Park Station would have their platforms widened by an extra 4.8 meters from the current 6 meters, Metro officials said.

Plans for the upgrade had been submitted to construction authorities and were expected to be approved shortly, they said.

Metro managers hoped the renovations would be completed before the end of this year. In the meantime, they said they would monitor turnstiles to regulate peak passenger flows.

Yesterday, Shanghai Daily was given a tour of the Metro's central control room to see a typical rush-hour period.

Live surveillance videos across the network showed crowds tightly packing the platforms at major stations about 8am, in the middle of the morning peak.

The overcrowding was particularly alarming at Xinzhuang and Zhangjiang stations, said Yu Haibin, a deputy director with the Metro control center.

Xinzhuang is a major hub station in the south, standing in the middle of high-density housing. Zhangjiang station is next to Zhangjiang High-Tech Park, which is home to a large number of companies.

"Once I got off at Zhangjiang Station during rush hour to make a site investigation," said Yu. "I got caught up in the crowds for 15 minutes before I could move onto the staircase to leave the platform."

The station's design featured narrow walkways between the entrances and platforms, Yu said, which could lead to crowds stampeding.

Between 7am and 8am yesterday, nearly 450,000 passengers traveled on Shanghai's eight Metro lines. Daily passenger numbers have broken three million, including one million a day traveling on Line 1 alone.