Metro Tidbits: Old people, smiles, swipes, Chelyabinsk and 'underground love'

• You may have noticed the above special green signs appearing on new exit gates near subway station exit stiles. What do they mean? Starting on Oct 19, passengers over 70 years of age carrying a social security card with proof of age can ride Shanghai public transportation (bus and metro) for free during off-peak hours. By the end of the year, the Metro company plans to install automatic card readers to quicken the entry process for these senior citizens, who can now pass through the newly installed exit gates. This is all part of a plan to improve service to the city's elder residents.
• Metro Operations is bringing in army communications specialists to train Line 8 staff to "put a smile in their voice". Line 8 is set to open by the end of this year.
• Be careful swiping your stored-value card when you exit a metro station; starting from the 27th of October, a new Metro Operations rule comes into effect declaring that passengers who did not swipe on their way out and need their card to be reset the next time they hope to ride the subway will need to pay the maximum fare of RMB 9 to get their card cleared.
• The Shanghai Tunnel Engineering Company is submitting a joint bid with the Guangzhou Metro to build a subway line for the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, located just north of the Russian border with Kazakhstan.
• China Daily tells us that "Super subway spurs underground love" when speeddating.com founder Tang Feng arranges for Shanghai white-collars to meet up in subway stations for speed-matchmaking parties. These daily commuters enjoy a special attachment to and resonance with the Shanghai subway system and feel like they can form a special connection with fellow commuters in the familiar setting.

Cross-posted on the Shanghai Public Transportation blog