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Where there are people, there's a need of public transportation and the Jiading district of Shanghai is no exception, especially with urbanization and the growing number of people moving into the area to take advantage of its services.
Now, fortunately, it has a more comprehensive transport network, with more than 20 public transportation routes in the new downtown and eastern area. Its bus system was already pretty well developed before Shanghai's subway Line 11 opened at the end of 2009, with many routes across the district and eight temporary junctions connected to rail transit.
Previously there was only one bus route, the Jiating line, cutting across the district's central area after the downtown was built and the district was changing rapidly.
Today, work continues on eight permanent junctions, of which the Anting, Malu, Nanxiang, and Changjidonglu stops are in use. For subway Line 11 alone, there are more than 40 bus lines with connection stops, making it a lot more convenient for people to transfer.
Some public transport lines are open before the site they are intended to serve, opens. For example, the new Maternity Care Center and the Judicial Center [which are still under construction]. And, there are six bus lines, including Jiading Line 9, that are already ready to handle the expected crowds well before the Ruijin Hospital North opens. There are even patients from as far away as Kunshan and Taicang have chosen to come here because of the new convenience.
The district's buses now have 67 routes covering 1,320 kilometers and serving about 247,900 people a day and the buses, subways, and taxis combine to provide very convenient travel services for everyone.
Now city planners are focusing on more efficient, convenient, low-carbon, and green modes of transport to build an even more beautiful Jiading, which is an old city with subtle modern flavors. It is crisscrossed by rivers and graceful bridges and the newly opened Beishui Bay Bridge has made its character more obvious. When night falls, its arches, decorated with colorful lights, make a wonderful landmark and something people can fall in love with.
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There are 10 roads connecting the district with downtown Shanghai, with another two under construction to meet the needs of a multi-level system that connects the two areas. The 4-lane Highway S5 will be widened to six lanes in the near future, making it a lot faster and construction work on inter-district roads, such as Jiashengdong and Taxindong is speeding up.
There are also six roads in the planning stage to connect Jiading with the Hongqiao district and the first phase of construction work on the Jiaming elevated road is underway with the second phase scheduled to start in the second half of this year. It will be a significant southward route that will get the people of Jiading to Hongqiao Airport in just 15 minutes.
And, there are many other crucial transport lines dissecting Jiading district, which is after all Shanghai's door to the interior of the Yangtze River Delta -- for example, the Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway Line, Shanghai-Nanjing intercity railway, G2 and G5 expressways, state roads 204 and 312, and the much-awaited Shanghai-Nantong Railway Line, which connects Jiading with the city of Taicang, a city in southeastern Jiangsu province.
Edited by Roger Bradshaw