Shanghai metro authorities have almost finished installing the fastest metro train in the city's history along the newly-constructed line 16 subway route - a 59-kilometer-track connecting Lingang New City to Longyang Road. According to subway officials, the 46 new 'bullet' trains will undergo a trial run sometime this year. By 2014, line 16 will open to the public. more ›

Shanghai's Metro authority just announced the closure of two downtown roads, beginning this Saturday. Qufu Road (曲阜路) in Huangpu District and Damuqiao Road (大木桥路) in Xuhui District will be closed for more than two years, until the end of 2013, in order to make way for Line 12 metro stations in the Metro expansion plan. Once completed, Line 12 will connect Minhang district with northern Pudong. So if you're a driver, bus passenger, or frequent cab-taker, expect to catch yourself stuck in traffic or making a detour if you're near the mentioned areas. Pedestrians, and cyclists, (and we suspect four-legged friends, as well as some e-bike/scooter riders) will not be affected. more ›

Yang Feng (杨峰), the man who lost five family members, including his wife and unborn child, in the recent Wenzhou train crash, has finally broken his silence amid suspicions that he was forced to keep quiet by railway officials. He recently stated on his Weibo that he wants to raise money for charity from profits earned by selling train tickets between Shaoxing and Wenzhou. He wants to set up an NGO called the 7.23 Foundation to help other relatives of victims. He also claims that it was his wife's dream, of all things, to sell tickets for the high speed trains. It remains unclear how or whether the railway could allow a private citizen to officially sell tickets, and the news director of the Shanghai Railway Bureau only had this to say: "We haven't received a similar request to have a private person run the ticket services on certain lines, and we can't guarantee that it would work as Yang wishes." We certainty didn't expect Yang to shift from his initial stance against the Railway Ministry to working for the Railway Ministry... more ›

Two trains were involved in Saturday's high-speed train crash in Wenzhou. We all now know what happened to Pan Yiheng (潘一恒), the driver of the D301 train which rear-ended the D3115 in front. He was stabbed to death in his chest by a brake handle as he activated the emergency brakes in the final moments of his life. more ›

• Our editor recounted the history of her grandmother's house now that Expo is over and its days on Sinan Lu are dwindling. The house was home to a diplomat who brought the Bund back to the Chinese and a freedom fighter who became China's first female lawyer.
• Animals throughout China can breathe a sigh of relief; authorities are starting to take action on the abuse of animals in parks and zoos across the country.
• Driverless cars and cars with a safety rating of zero had us deciding that it's probably best to stick with the Metro for the time being.

Flights schmights, travel the traditional way... by train! Take in the countryside at 300km/h as you whiz through the south of China. It appears that travel options are expanding with the high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing, set to open in the Summer of 2011, and the Shanghai-Hangzhou route, which just opened yesterday. A high-speed rail link connecting Shanghai and Hong Kong is set to be finished in three to four years. And it's pretty darn fast: the journey will take roughly three and half hours, compared to the 19 it would take today. Great for all those people who complain you can't get REAL dim sum up here. more ›

As if a high-speed train from Shanghai to Kunshan wasn’t enough, today Shanghai Daily reported that a cross-province metro line has been approved. The link is due to connect the two cities by 2012, departing from line 11’s Anting station, which is somewhere between the inner ring road and the end of the earth. Even better, the authorities are considering an extension that would integrate it with Suzhou’s subway system so that, theoretically, you could take a subway from Shanghai’s Yu Garden to Suzhou’s Humble Administrator’s Garden. Yeah, it might take you three hours, compared to an 18-minute train ride, but that means you will have a greater chance of catching some awesome performances. more ›

By 2015 it could happen, GoKunming reports. The journey currently takes 37 hours. According to GoKunming, "the Shanghai-Kunming passenger line (沪昆客运专线) will connect Shanghai and Kunming via the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan, Guizhou and Yunnan, passing through the major cities of Hangzhou, Nanchang and Changsha. Its target speed is reportedly 350 km/hr." more ›

Photo from jessielein more ›

China Daily: Survivors recount pre-dawn nightmare more ›

Video: France24 report of China's fight against piracy. more ›

Last night's Shanghai Evening Post contained several meaty public transportation related articles covering the following topics: more ›

Long story short, the place is a zoo, but what'd you expect. Of course, things are made worse by the weather. Here are some pics from the last few days. From what we've been hearing both in the news and in our apartment elevator, the dastardly weather gods have caused big time cancellations and problems. Despite the crowds of cold people and the massive B.O. from the people waiting inside the subway station, things seem more or less ok. Order has been maintained. Lots of places are already sold out, but order has been maintained, in part thanks to the police and PLA. more ›

From Boxun.com (you need a proxy) we discovered that there was a maglev-related protest on January 6th. It first started around 11am, around the Xinzhuang/Minhang area, and was dispersed, only to form again sometime around 3pm, this time in the busy Xujiahui CBD. It managed to, in some form, last until 11pm. Protesters carried signs saying "out for a walk" (散步), while other chanted slogans about protecting their homes. The proposed maglev was to link the city's two airports as well as Shanghai to Hangzhou. However, recent protests brought public attention to the health effects of the maglev, leading, according to some, to the recent government decision to reroute the maglev so as to minimize the noise, radiation, and collateral damage. These proposed changes are part of the reason why the price estimates of the maglev have increased from 200 million per km to about 500 million per kilometer. more ›

It may only be a spit away by plane, but for those of us too cheap environmentally concerned to fly, getting up to Beijing for the weekend is a bitch (despite our love of munching through a bottomless nosebag of sunflower seeds to looped pan-pipe renditions of Celine Dion songs). Which is why we don't go. So the proposed high-speed line between Shanghai and BJ, which will reportedly cane it along at 350km/h and take... more ›

Photo taken by meckleychina at the Pudong International Station. Share with us how you see Shanghai, or China! Simply post your photos on Flickr, tag them with "shanghaiist", and we'll select one favorite image per day. Or you can simply email your photos to photos[at]shanghaiist.com.... more ›

Honestly, when China threw a shitfit after German chancellor Merkel met the Dalai Lama, we really didn't give a hoot, in part because we've given up on seeing our dream of Tibetan secession realized in our lifetimes. But one thing you might not have known is that this diplomatic contretemps spilled over to affect our fair city. There was supposed to be a week long symposium sponsored by Der Spiegel at the Duolun Museum... more ›

Well...after a day of bloating ourselves on turkey and pumpkin pie (sorry Shanghaiist is American and assumes that everyone else wants to be one) the perfect cure is a night of live music. Lucky for us Convenience Store, one of Beijing's longest lasting and most reputable Brit-pop bands, is going to be playing out at Live Bar tonight. Shanghaiist has waited along time to see this band, in the past we were busy or too... more ›

Metro news from the local press: more ›

Cross-posted on the Shanghai Public Transportation blog more ›

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Abe Deyo is Shanghaiist's Music Editor. Email tips, recommendations, news and gossip about Shanghai's music scene to music at shanghaiist.com. more ›

News tidbits from the public transportation world: more ›

A powerful storm drenched China's southeast coast Sunday after killing five people on Taiwan and prompting the mainland to evacuate more than 1 million people, the government announced. more ›

Photo from Ken Yip. more ›

The free Metro Express commuter paper has a big front-page spread today on the People's Square metro interchange make-over. The headline announces that "People's Square Three Line Interchange Hall To Open By Year's End", which is old news to those who have been following the progress of the new metro Line 8. Instead, the reason for the story being published today is that the Shanghai Rail Transport Construction Headquarters just released a bunch of numbers on the new station, as well as a map of the planned station layout. Among the numbers: more ›

Malaysia will help train Thai Muslim religious teachers and provide scholarships for students in southern Thailand as part of an agreement signed between the country's two leaders aimed at curbing violence in the region. more ›

Thou shalt not collude on pricing, the regulatory god said unto the Moses of industries in most countries, including China. But the instant noodle cabal either did not hear it or turned a deaf ear. In late July, noodle makers joined forces in raising prices by about 20 percent, and as much as 40 percent for some products.After less than three weeks of regulatory pressure, media assailing and public discontent, the industry backed down, apologized and initiated an across-the-board price cut. Is this a triumph of consumer rights and regulatory protection? Yes ... hmm maybe. more ›

Shanghai prosecutors have charged former property tycoon Zhou Zhengyi with misappropriation of funds, bribery and forging value-added tax receipts, said a government source. more ›