Dedicated Chair-Carrier? Hangzhou's 'Worst Metro Ever' Gets Savagely Roasted
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Alright, no problem! I'll make the necessary adjustments so that foreign friends can easily understand it and experience the fun of our witty remarks as well.
Hello to all visitors in Hangzhou, especially those hoping to ride on Line 8 of the Hangzhou Metro: if you’re avoiding rush hour (between 7am and 9am, and between 5pm and 7pm), you’ll find that:
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The carriages are surprisingly empty, in both directions!
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Just as many online users have mentioned, this line is referred to as the "seat-only transport special line" – meaning that since the train is mostly empty, its main mission appears to be transporting seats rather than passengers!
Therefore, if you're looking for a tranquil metro experience or want to guarantee yourself a seat, Line 8 is definitely your "VIP choice." -
Here’s some background info:
* Although Line 8 of Hangzhou's Metro was opened in 2021, the number of passengers who ride it remains quite low, which has led to much discussion online.
* Compared with other subway lines in Hangzhou, the passenger numbers for Line 8 fall dramatically – only around 36,000 per day approximately.
* To put this into context, even a relatively new intercity rail linking the Hangzhou and adjacent Haining cities ("Hanghai Chentie", consider it as a train connection between two cities) enjoys much higher passenger volume; let alone comparing it with crowded local metro lines within Hangzhou, the difference is enormous! -
On a brighter note:
* In June 2023, the Hangzhou Metro authority announced plans to extend Line 8 further west.
* Hopefully, the extension will attract more people onto the train!
#Hangzhou #Subway #CityLife #JiangZheFuTravel #UrbanPublicTransport #HangzhouMetroExperience #UrbanPlanning #TravelGuideToHangzhou
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Line 8 might as well be shut down; it's just a waste of money.
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Waiting for the western extension.
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Once the western extension is built, it'll be packed. The population density along the river in Xiasha is already very high.
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The main issue is that these people don't even go to Dajiangdong.
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And then you have Xianlinbu, with tens of thousands of people, still without a subway.
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That's because there's no land to sell there. Dajiangdong has vast tracts of land available for sale, so naturally, they'd build a subway there.
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I'm on it right now.
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It gets really crowded during morning and evening rush hours. Besides, along the entire Line 8, only the area around He Zhuang Road is residential; the rest is mostly undeveloped, empty land.
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You call Xinwan a wasteland? You can barely find a spot to park an e-bike at the subway entrance there anymore.
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The influx of industries and people into Dajiangdong is just too slow.
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If enough resources are poured in, it will thrive. With a top-tier hospital (like Zhejiang University First Affiliated), a high-speed rail hub, two subway lines, strong compulsory education resources, and educational integration with the main urban area, it offers incredible value for money.
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What's the logic in extending it west to boost ridership when it's already low? Even with an extension, ridership on the original segment will barely increase. It'll just be the new segment artificially inflating the numbers, essentially masking the issue.
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If it's extended westward, it would make commuting to Dajiangdong for work or living there much more convenient. Housing prices here are quite low, and Wisdom Valley already hosts a good number of companies. This could draw people in from even further west.
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They're running 6A-type trains, the passenger flow is so low it's like they're just 'transporting seats,' and the headway is 10 minutes. If they had just used 4B-type trains, they wouldn't be getting slammed this hard.
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Line 12 started with 4B trains. Building it early was beneficial; it prevented its train configuration from being reduced to something like 6AH after the high-speed rail station was completed, unlike what might happen to others.
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Their motto seems to be: build it where nobody is.