Metro braces for big holiday crowds, altering some trains

SHANGHAI Metro is gearing up for an anticipated record number of passengers during the National Day holiday period. Popular lantern shows at sites near Nanjing Road E., People's Square and Lujiazui stations will lead to service alterations and limits on passengers numbers. Nanjing Road E. station, shared by Metro Lines 2 and Line 10, will be closed after 4pm each day until Monday. Trains will not stop at the station and passengers will not be allowed to enter or exit. At People's Square and Lujiazui stations, the subway operator plans to limit passenger numbers if the volume becomes great by asking passengers to take alternative means of transport. Extra trains and tickets will be ready for the anticipated crowds, Metro officials said. Passenger numbers on the city's 11 Metro lines rose to 7.1 million yesterday. The last time the daily figure exceeded 7 million was about a year ago during the Shanghai World Expo. Metro Line 1 services were extended to after midnight last night to take late-night shoppers home from the busy Xujiahui area. Metro officials said they expected passenger numbers to remain very high throughout the first three days of the holiday. Above ground, there was congestion on the streets starting in mid-afternoon with many offices closing early to allow staff to get home for the holiday. Yesterday was the last working day before the National Day Holiday and traffic jams started earlier than usual and lasted until about 8pm. The Highway Administration said some highways in suburban Qingpu, Songjiang and Jiading districts and on Chongming Island saw serious congestion, especially around ramps and toll stations. Meanwhile, the city's two airports were especially busy handling a surge in the number of passengers traveling abroad. Japan, South Korea and other neighboring countries were the most popular destinations. Some flights to Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau had delays.

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