Metro

Power failure suspends Shenzhen subway line for six hours

Posted: 09/6/2012 3:46 pm

A power failure suspended Shenzhen’s Longhua Subway Line for 6 hours yesterday, affecting thousands of commuters, according to Shenzhen Daily.

It started at 1:37 p.m. near Children’s Palace Station and service resumed at 7:15 p.m. Shenzhen’s transport commission arranged 150 buses to transport passengers who were stranded at stations.

Commuters queue for a special bus organized by the transport commission

Operator HKMTR co. later confirmed that the incident was caused by a power failure. The Hong Kong company has become synonymous with delays since the line was fully opened in June 2011.

It was the second glitch of the day, according to local media. During the morning rush hour, a train suddenly halted, throwing passengers to the ground, as it was about to reach Children’s Palace Station on the route from Qinghu to Futian Checkpoint.

Tagged: Children's PalaceHKMTRLonghua Subway LineMetrotransport commission

Shenzhen Travel Card to merge with Hong Kong’s Octopus Card Sept. 4

Posted: 08/31/2012 7:00 am

The Shenzhen Travel Card and Hong Kong’s Octopus Card will become interchangeable on September 4, making life more convenient for people who regularly travel in both cities, local media have announced.

A Shenzhen woman who regularly goes shopping in Hong Kong, Miss Liu, told local television that the new measure will save her time and money. Other residents echoed her statement.

Wang Dongjun, the CEO of Shenzhen Travel Company added that wherever you used the card it would pay in Hong Kong Dollars or RMB, depending on where you are. The cards can be used to take, buses, taxies, the subway and make small purchases in selected stores such as 7-11.

Residents can also add money in either Hong Kong Dollars or RMB, depending on which city they are in.

This will, however, require the purchase of a new card. Existing Shenzhen Tong and Octopus cards don’t have the dual-currency capability, so you’ll have to pony up for an upgrade.

Tagged: Hong KongMetroMTROctopus CardShenzhen TongSmart CardTravel Card

50,000 drivers using cancelled or expired licenses in Shenzhen

Posted: 08/27/2012 7:00 am

(Image from eChinaCities)

China is renowned for sometimes chaotic traffic conditions, and we don’t just mean general du che. The best (and most hilarious) introduction to how to turn left at a Chinese intersection can be found here.

Shenzhen, of course, is no exception. The automobile is relatively new in China compared to other countries, having just hit the mainstream in the past 10 years or so. But aside from a plethora of new drivers, it looks like there could be another cause of poor drivers in Shenzhen: more than 50,000 people are out driving around with either expired or cancelled licenses.

One report says this might not necessarily be because they are poor drivers, but because they were just slow in renewing. Still, the evidence says otherwise. Making matters worse, eChinaCities reports Shenzhen has the highest traffic density of any city in China:

The Shenzhen traffic management department estimates that Shenzhen’s maximum volume of motor vehicles will be 2.1 million according to the present number of roads in the city. That is to say that it is estimated that Shenzhen’s car number will reach its limitation in the next two years and it will be very difficult to drive.

That article is from last year, and it’s only gotten worse since then. Might be time to skip the taxi, and take the metro instead.

Tagged: Du CheMetroShenzhenTrafficTransportation

Shenzhen to sell VIP seats on a new metro line

Posted: 07/7/2012 7:00 am

In a country struggling with a widening wealth gap and perceptions of ill-gotten wealth, why not launch a two-tiered public transport system?

Okay, that might be a little harsh, but Shenzhen is indeed pressing ahead with plans to launch a VIP car on its new metro line 11, which is scheduled to open in 2016. Tickets for the VIP area will be double the price of regular tickets.

China Daily is on the case with some reaction:

“We are trying to make public transportation meet a higher level of service,” said Zhao Penglin, deputy secretary general of Zhenzhen municipal government, at the Shenzhen-Hongkong Subway Economic Circle Summit on July 5.

“By providing seat tickets to passengers, especially travelers from other places, a morecomfortable journey can be enjoyed,” Zhao said.

But some passengers remain skeptical about the VIP service.

“I will consider the VIP ticket if it is not expensive,” said a Shenzhen woman surnamed Huang, “It’s crowded in rush hour, making it difficult to stand without a seat from the Laojie station tothe airport for 40 to 50 minutes, and I am willing to pay more for the ticket for comfort.”

A worker surnamed Lin said, “I go to work by underground on weekdays, and it’s a littleexpensive to spend double the price on a VIP ticket.”

While not common, first-class public transport trains do exist. The most notable is next door in Hong Kong, where the East Rail Line connecting Lo Wu with Hung Hom features first class compartments. Like Shenzhen’s plans, the first class car is roughly double the cost of other train compartments.

No word on what features the first class compartments in Shenzhen will have to justify the added cost. However, it appears it will, at the very least, guarantee the ticket-holder a seat. That’s better than in Hong Kong, where first class passengers have to stand if all seats are full.

Tagged: First ClassLine 11MetroShenzhenVIP

Today’s head-scratcher: CNN names Guangzhou’s metro the best… in the world

Posted: 05/4/2012 6:15 pm

Is this the world's best?

We love CNNGo here at The Nanfang. Since they launched a couple of years ago, they’ve been a great wealth of information on the markets they cover (such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.) We are even fans, despite the fact the founder of our friendly competitors works full-time for them.

But today’s article left us scratching our heads. The CNNGo team decided to put together a list of the top 10 metro systems in the world, and while we haven’t been able to try all of them, we question its ranking of the number one metro: Guangzhou.

Make no mistake, Guangzhou has a convenient and relatively clean system. It connects to most of the necessary city hot spots, like shopping malls and train stations. But best… in the world? We’re not even sure Guangzhou’s is the best in the PRD, with Hong Kong’s famed MTR right next door. In fact, the MTR Corporation was a consultant on the Guangzhou metro project when it was under construction. While the MTR is generally considered to be among the top in the world, it didn’t place anywhere on CNN’s list.

Here’s what CNN had to say about the Guangzhou Metro:

After failing five times in 30 years to create a metro system, Guangzhou’s first metro line was finally opened in 1997 and a second line was opened in 2002.

Infrastructure investment exploded in 2004 when the city won the 2010 Asian Games. In the ensuing six years, the council spent RMB 70 billion (US$11 billion) on the metro system.

For going from absolute-zero in 1992 to eight lines, 144 stations, 236 kilometers of track and 1.2 billion passengers in 2008, and for the upcoming 48-minute express-trip to Hong Kong (opening in 2015), Guangzhou gets top billing on this list.

Those are impressive numbers, no doubt. We don’t necessarily quibble with the accolades given to the Guangzhou metro, just that it’s the best on the entire planet.

For what it’s worth, Tokyo and New York City round out the top three, while Singapore comes in at number nine.

Tagged: CNNCNNGoGuangzhouGuangzhou MetroMetroMTRMTR CorporationNew York City SubwaySBS TransitShanghai MetroSMRT CorporationTokyo Metro

Debate breaks out on refurbishment of Guangzhou’s metro

Posted: 05/12/2011 2:15 pm

To anybody that’s been on Hong Kong’s fabled MTR network, you’ll know that Guangzhou’s metro was patterned to provide the same comfortable and convenient service. Hong Kong’s MTR was actually a consultant to Guangzhou’s metro company when it was being planned, and like Hong Kong, Guangzhou decided to introduce a different colour scheme for each station along Metro Line 1. Unlike Hong Kong, Guangzhou’s metro is now crumbling, even though it’s only been around for 14 years. This level of attention to detail during planning and construction might make one reconsider purchasing property in China.

Anywho, Guangzhou now says this different-colour-for-different-stations plan doesn’t work. Tiles are crumbling off columns, for example. So it wants to make all stations uniformly coloured to make maintenance and repairs easier. The problem is, Guangzhou’s population isn’t exactly passive to change. So they’ve come out to say: “No”.

The media and populace have questioned the cost of changing all the stations into one style. Media research tried to find decoration materials in the wholesale market and found it easy to fit the damaged walls. The metro company said the materials are similar but must be cut into the right shape. They consider the maintenance cost to be higher than the reconstruction in the long term.

Many people suggested that the metro invest money on improved services, such as installing toilets and elevators. In response the metro company said they only had about 96 million Yuan available for decorating line 1 and the duration of the operation is too short to renew utilities. The input will be an overall change of line 1. Some stations have nearly finished their reconstruction.

What’s nice to see is the aforementioned “populace” speaking up a bit in how their tax yuan are spent. But unless they feel so passionately as to protest this otherwise innocuous reconstruction project, all metro stations will look the same in about three years. If there’s one thing Chinese government officials love, its conformity.