Shanghai Set for Huge Expansion of Subway Network

Plans to add some 2,000 km of subway tracks by 2040

The Shanghai Metro plans to expand its subway network with a new ring line to alleviate pressure on its current ring-shaped Line 4.

According to the Deputy Director of the Shanghai Urban Planning and Land Management Administration, Shi Jiaming, the new line “will share stations on some current subway lines to form a new ring route.” For example, Line 5 could be extended to Line 2 to create the southwestern part of the ring.

Although still in the planning stages, Shanghai expects to lay 930 kilometers of new subway track in its downtown core by 2040, and another 930 kilometers in the suburbs.

In just 22 years, Shanghai’s subway network has expanded to 14 subway lines, with 337 stations, and can be seen in this extraordinary GIF.

Charles Liu

The Nanfang's Senior Editor