Another across-river rail service Metro link, Line 7, is expected to be up and running in November, a month ahead of schedule.

The line will be a key link between downtown and Baoshan and Putuo districts.

Metro Construction Headquarters said yesterday that most of the construction work for the 28 Line 7 stations had been completed, making it possible for the new line to launch trial operations in November.

The headquarters said it had 25 new trains to be used on Line 7 under testing.

Another 17 trains will gradually arrive in Shanghai and are expected to be ready before World Expo opens next May.

The six-carriage trains will be mainly orange, the theme color of Line 7. Metro officials said they would have 20 trains in service on Line 7 when it opened for trial operations.

The 35-kilometer route starts in the north of the city at the Outer Ring Road in Baoshan District, runs through Putuo, Jing'an and Xuhui districts, and ends at Longyang Road Station, which Line 7 is to share with Line 2.

The second phase of Line 9 and first phase of Line 11 are both scheduled to open for trial services before the end of this year.

The headquarters said technicians would be aboard each Line 7 train during the early months of service to prepare for any problems caused by malfunctions.

When the three new lines come into service, the city will boast a Metro network of 350 kilometers.

This will be expanded to 420 kilometers by the start of the Expo.

Daily passengers were expected to jump from 3.4 million at present to nearly 5 million during the Expo, Shanghai construction authorities officials said yesterday.

The city will continue to purchase new trains and plans to have 400 in service on Metro routes by the Expo, increasing from the present 215.

Metro officials said they would also focus on refitting existing trains with extra carriages.

(Shanghai Daily September 8, 2009)