Shanghai Pudong International Airport

urbandweller

August 27, 2008, 06:17 AM posted in General Discussion

I was inspired by Sushan's post on Beijing Terminal 3....

So, here is a post about another huge airport in China...I think this may look familiar to many Cpoddies (and cpod staff) since its the main one serving Shanghai. It's the only one in China that has the famous Maglev train. (上海磁浮示范运营线; pinyin: Shànghǎi Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn)That is an incredible piece of engineering. You have to take the Maglev at least once for the experience! It's quite a thrill to see the scenery flying by at over 200 mph!!

Here are some interesting facts and pictures...

Shanghai Pudong International Airport (simplified Chinese: 上海浦东国际机场; traditional Chinese: 上海浦東國際機場; pinyin: Shànghǎi Pǔdōng Guójì Jīchǎng) is a major aviation hub in Asia, particularly in the East Asian region, and is the primary international airport serving Shanghai of the People's Republic of China.

The airport is the main hub for China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, and a major international hub for Air China. A total of 28.92 million passengers passed through the airport in 2007, 45% higher than the 20 million capacity of Terminal 1 which was the sole operating terminal during that period^[4], making the airport the 3rd busiest in the People's Republic of China. However, it handles more international passengers than Beijing Capital International Airport^[5], currently the busiest Chinese airport in terms of total passengers handled, with 17,518,790 international passengers handled in 2007, a 9.0% increase over the previous year.

Prior to the establishment of Pudong International Airport, Hongqiao International Airport was the primary airport of Shanghai. During the 1990s, the expansion of Hongqiao was impossible as the urban area surrounding Hongqiao was developing significantly. As a result, the government had to seek an alternative for Hongqiao International Airport to take all of its international flights. A suitable site was at the coast of the Pudong development zone to the east of Shanghai. The airport was significantly funded by a 40-billion-yen (~400 million USD) grant from Japan.

The airport opened on October 1, 1999, replacing Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport as Shanghai's international airport and taking over all of its international flights, including regional flights to Hong Kong and Macau. The first phase of the airport began in October 1997 and took two years to build at a cost of RMB 12 billion (1.67 billion USD). It covers an area of 40 kilometers squared and is around 30 km from downtown Shanghai.

Transrapid constructed the first commercial high-speed maglev railway in the world, from the Pudong International Airport to Long Yang Road Metro station. It was inaugurated in 2002. It has a peak speed of 431 km/h and a track length of 30 km. A transportation center will be built in Phase 3, and to become operational in 2015. The extension of the Subway Line 2 to Pudong International Airport has started construction and will also link with Hongqiao Airport, to be completed by 2010, in time for the 2010 World Expo.

Shanghai Maglev Train (Shanghai Transrapid) (Chinese: 上海磁浮示范运营线; pinyin: Shànghǎi Cífú Shìfàn Yùnyíng Xiàn; literally "Shanghai Magnetic Levitation Demonstration Operation Line") is the first commercial high-speed maglev line in the world. Construction began in March 2001, and public service commenced on January 1, 2004.

The line is operated by Shanghai Maglev Transportation Development Co., Ltd..

The train can reach 350 km/h (220 mph) in 2 minutes, with a maximum speed in normal operation of 431 km/h (268 mph). During a test run on 12 November 2003, the vehicle achieved a top speed of 501 km/h (311 mph). The Shanghai Transrapid project took 10 billion yuan (1.33 billion US dollars) and 2.5 years to complete the 30.5 km (19.0 mi) track.

The train runs from Longyang Road station in Pudong on the Shanghai subway line 2 to Pudong International Airport with an additional, separate track leading to a maintenance facility. The train takes 7 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the journey.

As of May 2008, the one way ticket price is ¥50 (about US$7.00 in 2008) and ¥40 ($5.60) for airline passengers with proof of an airline ticket purchase receipt. A round-trip ticket costs ¥80 ($11.20). VIP tickets cost double.