The Metro: Line 4 nears completion, and Henan Middle Rd sees a change

This week saw some interesting announcements regarding Shanghai's metro system. First off, Metro Line 4's circle closes this year:

Shanghai's top traffic management official yesterday confirmed that Metro Line 4 will complete its circle within the year.

The last four station being completed will mean that the 26-station line will finally cross the Huangpu a second time in south Pudong, providing a more direct route for Pu dong's young-uns to get to Ikea. Shanghaiist wonders how the metro planners will handle the increase in passengers; several Line 4 cars were loaned to Line 2 last year to handle congestion on the green line.

Another interesting piece of news is that a Line 2 entrance at Nanjing Road E. Station [is] to be closed for two years during the construction of an exchange with the new Line 10:

More passengers use the No.2 entrance, at the crossroads of Henan Road M. and Nanjing Road E., than the other three entrances to the station, accounting for 30 percent of the daily passenger flow of 100,000 into the station.

Exit 2 was certainly the most used exit, dropping passengers off at the scenic beginning of Nanjing East Rd's pedestrian street and offering access to the Henan Middle Rd intersection leading to the Bund. A report on the Ditiezu forums says that when it reopens, Exit 2 will be incorporated into a shopping center and also offer pedestrians the option of crossing Henan Middle Rd underground. This will be a welcome change: the intersection in question can get pretty crowded and we suspect it is a playground for pickpockets.

Photograph by absoluteSteven on Flickr.