Shanghai Travel Forum

I would enjoy taking the Maglev train out of Shanghai Pudong, which is by the People's Square. Is it running? This will be in September this year.

I have been looking at this metro map http://urbanrail.net/as/shan/shanghai.htm ... but it does not really seem like the Maglev goes all the way. So ... would it be easy to catch a taxi from the end of the Maglev to the hotel?

How do you get a Maglev ticket - getting the discount?

You could try web sites like this one:

http://www.smtdc.com/en/index.asp

This is what I got there.

1. Operation time:
At Longyang Road Station, operation time starts at 6:45 am and ends at 21:30 pm.
At Pudong Airport Station, operation time starts at 7:02 am and ends at 21:32 pm.

2. Ticket purchase:
2.1 Purchase time:
Passengers can get tickets at the Ticket Center on the day of taking the train.

Single trip ticket by presenting air-ticket of the same day (with the exception of electronic ticket and other vouchers) RMB40 instead of RMB80.

Ordinary single trip ticket of the day RMB50.

Thanks anoum. I was wondering if it was operational, or if it's by any chance closed for any length of time. Not too clear from the web pages.

If you show an arrival or departure ticket valid for that day you will get a 20 percent discount, i.e. a oneway ticket will cost 40 instead of 50 yuan. The "city" terminus of the maglev line is still quite a distance from the centre of Shanghai on the other side of the Huangpu river, but there are plenty of taxis.

Another option if you do not have a lot of luggage is to take the Maglev Train to the Pudong station, then switch over to the No 2 subway and get off at the People's Square station and walk over to the hotel which I think is only 2-3 to blocks away.

Thank you CliffC and polartraveller.

Yup, I saw a map mentioning the transfers - and I never have too much luggage (just a small rollaway that I could use as a backpack if need be, and a purse) - I'm just not sure about the transfers. Are these written in English?

In what direction do I get the #2, and how do I know where to get off?

And how are the tickets paid?

If I can get those details resolved - I'm taking the maglev and bus!

yes, there are enough English signs to steer you to the subway station which is basically - next door, underground vs the Maglev train which is overhead.

Once you get off the train take the esculator down to street level, then go "next door" where the subway station is then another level down. There are also automatic ticket machines to purchase your subway ticket (ie: have some local currancy on hand may be helpful, ATM at the airport will take foreign ATM cards), I think it it 6 RBM for the distance.
Coming out of People Square Station is a challenge as it is the largest station in Shanghai and with the new lines the station is constantly under renovation so finding the right exit may be fun. There are enough people willing to help if you write the street names down (English is ok).
A few people get offended if I mentioned crime here but do watch out for pick pockets in the subway.

Thanks ... I'll think about this. I'm pretty paranoid with p/p's ... but so far so good.

Or just take taxi on your way in then once you get your bearing take the subway on your way out.

By the way the first time I heard of the Maglev train was on my way out to the airport in the company van with my lovely secretary. She point out the window and said "make love, make love!!"...where? on the highway? Took me a while to figure it out!!

Make love???
What's this to do with Maglev train???

Make Love --- Mag Lev

A trip on the maglev is a must if staying in Shanghai. We took a taxi from our city hotel, for the cost of $8.00AUD, and which took 45 mins. We then took a trip on the train to the airport, got off and bought another ticket back to the starting point, and then we got tickets for the underground. The tickets are sold at the airport and at the only other station, which I cant remember the name. The train seems to run every 15 or 30 minutes.

Get your hotel porter to write down on a business card for the taxi driver where you wish to go before setting out, and make sure the driver tells you how much the trip is to be. I think it worked about at about 50 yuen. Thoroughly enjoyable experience. It goes to 431 klm per hour and gets to that speed in about 4 minutes.

No, the Maglev doesn't go to town. I think you missed out some words in your 1st sentence? It should read "I would enjoy taking the Maglev train out of Shanghai Pudong, to our hotel which is by the People's Square." Otherwise it doesn't make sense.
The Maglev (http://www.smtdc.com) runs from Pudong airport to Longyang Lu metro stop. Yes, it's fully operational everyday. Bring your same-day plane ticket for 10 RMB discount on the Maglev ticket. Hopefully you're taking it between 0900 and 1645, otherwise the maximum speed would only go up to 300 km/h... in which case it would make more sense to go on the High-Speed Rail in Taiwan instead -- cheaper and more time for you to enjoy the ride!
Then you need to take metro line 2 (green) from Longyang Lu to People's Square, for 4 RMB. Tickets are easily bought with the bilingual ticket machines -- if it isn't in English, look for the "English" tab on the top right-hand corner of the screen. Look on http://www.exploreshanghai.com/metro for an interactive map of Shanghai's metro system. Exit no.20 should be the nearest one for your hotel.

Thanks for all responses !

Yes, I arrive between the "high speed" times - looking forward to this trip!