Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
Development of Shanghai Integrated
Transport (2010-2015)
XIAO Hui and GU Yu
Abstract
This article summarises the general situation of Shanghai’s integrated transport system
and then determines the trends and objectives of its 2015 development plans. It also
proposes how to build integrated transport developments matching the level and
standards of an international metropolis.
Introduction
In the 21st century, with the sustainable
development of Shanghai economically and
socially, its population increase and the
significant expansion of urban space, these
create the opportunity and political will to
promote integrated transport service levels,
particularly in the wake of the success of
the 2010 Shanghai EXPO. Shanghai has
also made significant progress in actively
promoting integrated transport infrastructure
and all other aspects of transportation. In
the next five or ten years, Shanghai will face
macro-environment trends, while taking into
account its own development transformation.
It will adhere to the goal to build a modern
international metropolis, while considering the
scale and effectiveness of integrated transport
development, and promoting intensive and
environment-friendly integrated transportation
infrastructure in order to build a world-class
integrated transport system.
Shanghai Integrated Transport in
2010
With high-intensity input and fast-paced
construction since the reform and opening up
of the People’s Republic of China, Shanghai
integrated transport has made remarkable
achievements in terms of increasingly
sophisticated transport infrastructure, newly
formed integrated transport networks,
significantly increased traffic volumes and
highly improved technological innovation and
technical equipment. Currently, it has built
the system framework in integrated transport
infrastructure which focuses on 2-Ports,
2-Highways and 3-Networks.
Shanghai integrated transport has
made remarkable achievements in
terms of increasingly sophisticated
transport infrastructure, newly
formed integrated transport
networks, significantly increased
traffic volumes and highly improved
technological innovation and
technical equipment.
• Seaport: Shanghai International Shipping
Center Construction has achieved a major
breakthrough with the completion of the
north port area of Yangshan Deep-Water
Port and Phase I to Phase VI projects of
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
Waigaoqiao Port area, which has a designed
container terminal annual throughput
capacity of over 18 million TEU. In 2010,
it was the busiest port in the world, with
a throughput of 29 million TEU (Figure 1).
The port’s cargo throughput is 650 million
tonnes, which ranked as the top in the world
cargo and mail throughput reached 3.72
million tonnes in 2010. Pudong International
Airport, which ranked third in the world for
cargo throughput, has been established as
an international air cargo hub (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Shanghai Hongqiao Hub and Shanghai Pudong
International Airport
for six successive years.
Figure 1: Shanghai Ports and Shipping
• Airport: The construction of the Asia Pacific
aviation hub has made significant progress.
Hongqiao Airport’s second runway and
second terminal began operations in 2010.
Nowadays, Shanghai has two airports, four
airport terminals and five runways. Shanghai
Airport’s passenger throughput has achieved
the 72.19 million passenger mark, while
22
• Railway: Since the opening of the ShanghaiNanjing Intercity Railway on 1 July 2010,
the Shanghai railway operating mileage has
reached 387 km. It has been strengthened
further as the domestic rail hub. It forms
the “three main 3 auxiliary” pattern with
a total of six railway terminals (Figure 3).
Since the opening of the Shanghai-Nanjing
Pudong International Airport, which
ranked third in the world for cargo
throughput, has been established as
an international air cargo hub.
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
and Shanghai-Hangzhou intercity railway,
the fastest travel time from Shanghai to
Hangzhou and to Nanjing was shortened
to 38 minutes and 73 minutes, from the
previous 90 minutes and 180 minutes,
respectively.
Figure 4: 2011 Shanghai Trunk Road Network*
Figure 3: 2010 Shanghai Railway Network and Passenger and
Freight Station
*Including Highways and Main Roads
any two points in suburban areas could be
completed within 60 minutes.
• Highway: The total road network length in
Shanghai is 12,000 km, including 776 km of
expressways, which form a basic structure
of 2 circles, 9 radiation directions, 1 vertical
highway, 1 horizontal highway and 2 links
(Figure 4). Expressway density and road
network density in the city are 12 km/100
km2 and 184 km/100 km2 respectively, which
rank as the top in China. This also achieves
the planned target of “15, 30, and 60”,
which means that motorists anywhere in
suburban areas can reach expressways in
15 minutes, then travel to the city centre in
30 minutes, and that travel by car between
• Urban Expressway Network: Total road length
in Shanghai is 4,400 km, with 3,317 km of
road in the urban centre and 193 km of
expressway. The road network density of the
city centre is 5 km/km2. It has established 23
Huangpu River-crossing facilities and formed
a river-crossing road system of 4 bridges
and 12 tunnels. The “3-circle 10-radial”
backbone expressway network has been
It has established 23 Huangpu Rivercrossing facilities and formed a rivercrossing road system of 4 bridges
and 12 tunnels.
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
formed in the centre of the city (Figure 5).
Figure 5: 2010 Shanghai Main Road Network*
operation framework in 2009, the
mechanism of combined public welfare
and market-oriented operation has been
improved further. By the end of 2010, total
bus numbers were 17,000, with 1,100 bus
lines and 3 million km operation range daily,
Based on 600 m station service
radius calculation, one quarter
of land in the city centre areas is
covered by rail stations, directly
serving 42% of the population of the
city centre.
Figure 6: 2010 Shanghai Metro Network and Station
*Including Expressway and Main Roads.
• Urban Rail Network: The length of Shanghai
rail transit lines in operation is at the
forefront, alongside major cities in the world.
It is also the first city in China whose rail
network has reached over 400 km. Although
the rail transit system was developed in less
than 20 years, it has parallelled the 100
years of rail development in the Western
cities. By the end of 2010, 13 metro lines
have been put in place (including Maglev),
with total operation length of over 450 km
and average passenger trips of 5.16 million
per day. Based on 600 m station service
radius calculation, one quarter of land in the
city centre areas is covered by rail stations,
directly serving 42% of the population of
the city centre (Figure 6).
• Surface Transit: After several rounds of
reform, especially the deep reform, which
strengthened the state-led and optimised
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
mostly forming the ground bus network
covering the whole city. Average passenger
trips achieved were 7.69 million per day, with
80% coverage of bus stops within a 500 m
service radius in the city centre and 95% bus
accessibility in the suburbs (Figure 7).
Figure 7: 2010 Public Transport and EXPO Taxi
metro network simply by one ride, and with
direct buses between the new towns and
village centres.
Shanghai has formed an urban
public transport system with the
rail transport as the backbone, the
ground public transport as the basic
service, the taxi as the complement,
the information system as the tool
and the transport hub as the link.
Speeding up and improving the construction
of Shanghai’s transport infrastructure boosts
investment demand and travel demand, and
also promotes the rapid development of real
estate, cars and other related industries. The
improvement of motorised traffic has greatly
reduced the spatial and temporal distance of
passenger and goods flow, and also capital
and information flow. It has also helped
to expand the urban space of Shanghai,
At present, Shanghai has formed an
urban public transport system with the
rail transport as the backbone, the ground
public transport as the basic service, the taxi
as the complement, the information system
as the tool and the transport hub as the link.
It has laid a solid foundation for achieving
3 targets; that travel by public transport
between any two points in the city centre
could be completed within one hour, that
residents in suburban areas could enter the
optimised industrialisation in municipal
areas, improved the quality of life, and the
environment for public transport travel,
all in order to support the development of
Shanghai as an international metropolis
more effectively (Figure 8).
Shanghai Integrated Transport
Development Targets in 2015
At present, we are in the key period of the first
transition and development and in the critical
stage of enhancing urban functions. Based on
the national strategic requirements, we will
speed up to achieve “Four Leads1”, accelerate
to build “Four Centers2”and a modern
international metropolis, and to become
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
Figure 8: 2010 Shanghai Internal-External Transportation Throughput and Mode Share
Public Transport
3050
3000
2950
2900
2850
2800
2750
2700
3033
2959
2885
2815
2006
2838
2007
2008
2009
2010
26693
10149
2006
20448
2007
21513
22039
2008
2009
2010
Annual External Passenger Transport Throughput
(10,000 trips)
a core city among world-class cities, with
strong international competitiveness. With
the development of economic globalisation,
the Yangtze River Delta integration and
urbanisation of the suburbs, higher and newer
requirements will be proposed for Shanghai’s
future transport development. Currently,
Shanghai`s population grows about 350,000
per year and Shanghai’s resident population
may exceed 25 million in 2015. With the
continuous acceleration of motorisation, the
city`s motor vehicle ownership is expected
to reach 3.5 million, which will bring great
With the continuous acceleration
of motorisation, the city`s motor
vehicle ownership is expected to
reach 3.5 million, which will bring
great pressure and challenges to
Shanghai’s transport development.
26
Cycling and e-bike
Walking
25.5%
80%
28.8%
28.7%
27.7%
26.5%
60%
21.1%
20.3%
19.9%
19.5%
18.5%
18.4%
19.5%
20.8%
40%
16.6%
17.9%
20%
33.5%
33.2%
34.0%
34.6%
35.2%
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
0%
Travel Mode Structure in the City Centre
Travel Volume Per Day in the City Centre (10,000 trips)
2800
2600
2400
2200
2000
1800
1600
1400
1200
1000
Private Transport
100%
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
9.2
2006
9.6
2007
10.9
10.2
10.0
2008
2009
2010
Annual Freight Throughput (100 million tonnes)
pressure and challenges to Shanghai’s transport
development.
The overall goals of Shanghai’s future
transport development is to build a modern
integrated transportation system to support
city science, coordinated with Shanghai’s
urban functions and spatial layout, adapted to
rural and urban development and ecological
environment, matched with the status of a
modern international metropolis, and also with
corresponding facilities, functions, scientific
management methods, efficient operations,
environment protection policies, etc.
Shanghai Integrated Transport
Development Mission in 2015
In the next five years, the Shanghai integrated
transport system will be further improved with
more focus on transport hubs, functionality
and networks.
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
Hub Development Goals
The level and radiation of Shanghai integrated
transport hub will be upgraded by relying on
the development of Shanghai International
Shipping hub, improving the layout of the
Shanghai integrated transport hub, enhancing
the hub`s function and service level and
promoting the passenger transport transfer
and freight connection.
In the next five years, the Shanghai
integrated transport system will be
further improved with more focus
on transport hubs, functionality and
networks.
• To establish the Shanghai International
Shipping Center: By 2015, the total cargo
throughput of Shanghai port is expected
to reach 650-700 million tonnes, while the
container throughput will reach 33 million
TEU. The proportion of water to water
transshipment will be increased 45%. It will
be established as an international shipping
centre with global shipping capacity by
2020.
• To be established as an Asia-Pacific aviation
hub: By 2015, Shanghai aviation hub is
expected to undertake passenger throughput
of about 90-100 million, and cargo and mail
throughput of 5 to 5.5million tonnes.
• To enhance its position with regards to the
national railway and road hub: It will adjust
the layout of railways and road passenger
and freight transport hubs to adapt to
urban development. By 2015, Shanghai
railway passenger volume is expected to
reach 150 million trips and 70 million trips
will be made by road.
Functional Development Goals
To adapt to the scale of urban population and
the growth in resident travel demand and to
enhance the scale and capabilities of Shanghai
integrated transport system.
• To further enhance the efficiency and
optimise the structure for collection and
distribution within the shipping centre:
This is to be achieved by strengthening the
construction of the aviation hub, the system
of collection and distribution in the shipping
centre and the system of modern service
industry. The proportion of rail transport
will be increased gradually to support and
form a modern aviation and shipping service
system.
• To further improve the urban transport
service level: By 2015, the proportion of
public transport in the city centre will be
increased from 47% to 50% or more and
90% of travel will be completed within one
hour by public transport. By 2020, we will
strive to reach the service level of public
transport in Tokyo, Hong Kong and other
developed cities, to build an international
metropolis-class public transport system.
By 2015, the proportion of public
transport in the city centre will be
increased from 47% to 50% or more
and 90% of travel will be completed
within one hour by public transport.
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Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
• To develop a safe and green transport
system: By 2015, the fatality rate in traffic
accidents will be reduced further. The energy
consumption in the transport industry will be
lower than the increased level of GDP, within
the background of the rapid development of
integrated transport.
The three travel efficiency goals “45, 60 and
90” have been set for 2015 (Figure 9), which
means that average travel time in the city
centre will be no more than 45 minutes, that
travellers from any suburban new town will
be able to reach the city centre in 60 minutes,
and that travellers from any major city in the
core area of the Yangtze River Delta can reach
Shanghai in 90 minutes.
Network Development Goals
• To develop three regional transport networks
and one intensive complex inter-city
network including railway, highway and
water to serve the Yangtze River Delta:
i. Railway network: Building and forming
a railway corridor in 4 directions
and constructing suburban railways.
ii. Highway network: To build 9 intercity
expressways with multiple functions
with 54 intercity expressways by 2015.
an urban transport network which coordinates
with public transport and main roads.
i. Public transport networks: By 2015,
total railway transport mileage will be
over 600 km with 500 m coverage
of bus stops from the urban centre
to the suburbs, and 300 m coverage
of bus stops within the internal ring.
ii. Backbone road network: The centre
expressway network has been formed
and the next priority is to improve
supporting roads and connected roads
and connectivity.
• To develop traffic information network
rapidly: Improve traffic information platforms,
fulfill auxiliary management functions, reinforce
operation supervision and provide help for
travellers on their journey.
Figure 9: 2015 Shanghai Travel Efficiency Goals
From the core area of Yangtze
River Delta to city centre ≤ 90min
From Suburban area to city centre ≤ 60min
iii. Inner river network: Developing an
advanced river channel network.
• To improve the intercity traffic network
continually: This is to be achieved by forming
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Within city centre ≤ 45min
Development of Shanghai Integrated Transport (2010-2015)
Conclusion
“Better City, Better Life” was the 2010
Shanghai EXPO Theme which reflects the
future of human society and a better vision of
urban life. It also gives us much inspiration for
Shanghai’s transport development in future.
Based on its current practice, Shanghai will
learn more from other advanced cities in the
world regarding their successful experience in
urban transport development, and promote an
intensive and environment-friendly transport
system, to create a modern international
metropolis with a world-class modern
integrated transportation system.
Notes
1.“Four Leads” means to lead the transformation of
economic growth, enhance the independent innovation
capability, promote reform and opening up, and build a
socialist harmonious society.
2. “Four Centres” means the International economic,
financial, trade and shipping centres.
Xiao Hui is Deputy Director of the Comprehensive Planning Division,
Shanghai Urban Construction and Transportation Commission, China. Prior
to joining the Commission, he held key managerial positions in Shanghai
Municipal Engineering Administration Bureau and Shanghai Planning
Design Research Institute. He has been engaged for years in the research
areas of road network planning, urban comprehensive transportation
planning, transportation policy research, intelligent transport, and
municipal engineering feasibility. He is highly sought after in the field
of urban transport planning. He has a Masters degree in Transportation
Planning from Tongji University, China, and is currently pursuing a PhD there.
Gu Yu is Deputy Director of the Transport Planning Department, and a Senior
Fellow of Engineering, in Shanghai City Comprehensive Transportation
Planning Institute, China. He has been engaged in urban integrated
transport strategy and planning research. He has published more than
ten papers in various professional journals and was involved in authoring
three books, including Urban Transport Strategy and Rapid Transit System.
He has a B.Eng. in Traffic Engineering and a Masters degree in Industrial
Engineering from the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
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