Connecting Shanghai’s two major airports in just 40 minutes: How is the experience of taking the city airport line? Is the transfer convenient?
The first operational section of the Shanghai City Airport Line, which connects Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station to Pudong Terminals 1 and 2, is set to officially open within this year. As Shanghai’s first newly built city rail line, what will the platform look like? How will it connect to the subway? What is the riding experience like?
On the morning of December 20, a reporter from The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) embarked on a full journey on the City Airport Line from Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station. The reporter discovered that traveling from Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station to Pudong Terminals 1 and 2 takes approximately 40 minutes, with an official ticket price announced at around 26 yuan. In comparison, the same distance using a ride-hailing app was estimated to take about 1 hour and 3 minutes.
The reporter found that the City Airport Line’s Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station is located approximately midway between Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 and Hongqiao Railway Station (closer to the railway). Whether departing from Hongqiao Airport or Hongqiao Railway Station, passengers need to go to the B1 floor, where it takes about a 5-minute walk to reach the City Airport Line entrance.
Around 8 AM, the reporter arrived at Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2, where the City Airport Line entrance is located on the B1 arrival level. It took approximately 5 minutes to walk from the arrival level of Hongqiao Airport Terminal 2 to the entrance of the City Airport Line. The reporter also measured that it takes about 4 minutes to walk from Hongqiao Railway Station to the City Airport Line.
Upon arriving at the ticket hall of Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station, the entrance gates were found to be similar to those of the subway, and the hall was very spacious. It took around 2 minutes of walking and taking escalators to reach the platform for the City Airport Line.
Upon boarding the train, the reporter noticed that the seating was arranged in a combination of horizontal and vertical layouts. Additionally, there were several user-friendly designs inside the carriage, including overhead luggage racks, space for larger pieces of luggage near the doors, as well as accessibility facilities and designated areas for wheelchairs.
Notably, the carriages are equipped with both wired and wireless charging facilities, allowing passengers to charge their mobile phones while on board.
To transfer to the subway, the reporter tested the route and found that it takes about 6 minutes of walking from the City Airport Line’s Zhongchun Road Station to switch to Line 9. Once at Pudong Terminals 1 and 2 Station, passengers can take an escalator to reach the terminal, where it takes approximately 2 minutes to walk to the entrance of the Maglev train connecting to Pudong Terminals 1 and 2.
According to subway staff on site, it takes about 8 minutes to walk from the City Airport Line’s Pudong Terminals 1 and 2 Station to Terminal 1.
The first operational section of the Shanghai City Airport Line, connecting Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station to Pudong Terminals 1 and 2, will take approximately 40 minutes. In contrast, traveling the same distance through a ride-hailing service takes about 1 hour and 3 minutes, and this duration could be longer when factoring in wait times for vehicles.
Based on actual operating conditions, adjustments will be made to the base ticket price. Du Feng, the deputy general manager of Shanghai Shentie Investment Co., stated that the City Airport Line uses the country’s first type C city rail train, which can reach a maximum operating speed of 160 kilometers per hour. In the future, the five currently under-construction city rail lines (including the City Airport Line) will be interconnected for seamless transfers.
The first operational section of the City Airport Line includes seven stations: Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station (interchange with Lines 2 and 10), Zhongchun Road Station (interchange with Line 9), Jinghong Road Station (interchange with Line 15), Sanlin South Station, Kangqiao East Station, Shanghai International Tourism Resort Station, and Pudong Terminals 1 and 2 Station (interchange with Line 2 and the Maglev line).
Regarding fares, the City Airport Line has a starting fare of 4 yuan, with a charge of 0.45 yuan per kilometer. The one-way fare from Hongqiao Terminal 2 Station to Pudong Terminals 1 and 2 Station is approximately 26 yuan. It is worth noting that the fares calculated through this system may differ from the final ticket prices. The Shanghai Shentong Metro Group may adjust the base fare downward or provide discounts based on actual operating conditions and optimize pricing methods and transfer fare rules as needed.
As the City Airport Line approaches its opening, the travel time between Hongqiao and Pudong international airports will be reduced to about 40 minutes, which will help citizens and travelers save time and effort during transfers and commutes, while also bringing more development opportunities to the Yangtze River Delta region.
