A Dummy’s Guide To Riding The Maglev

I did something crazy yesterday. I rode the Maglev one-way to Pudong International Airport, walked around Terminal 2, then went back home again. Ok, well, maybe not so crazy. I had reasons for doing so. A friend was flying back, and I just had to try the Maglev on my own. So I plunked down RMB 40 for a 7-minute ride to PVG. Not bad for an experimental trip.

Are you coming to Shanghai (or flying out) and want to take the Maglev to the city (or airport)? Here is all you need to know about Pudong’s ultimate superlative.

The Maglev is based on a system of magnetic levitation technology designed by the German company Trans-Rapid. It is the fastest way from the city to the airport as its highest speed can reach 431kph in just under 8 minutes. However, it is not the most convenient; because it only starts at Longyang Station all the way to PVG. From wherever you are, you have to take another form of transport system going to Longyang. Or if you are coming from the airport, you have to step off at Longyang and take something else  to wherever you are going.

The steps shown here start from Longyang. But it is just the same banana if you are coming from the airport–just reverse everything.

Before proceeding, have you checked this post already? Clear out your options first on how you want to go downtown from PVG before deciding on taking the Maglev.

From Longyang to PVG

Take Metro Line 2 (the green line) and get-off at Longyang Station. When you reach Longyang, look for the sign pointing to the Maglev station.

Sign pointing to Maglev station

You might want to say goodbye first to whoever is dropping you off at the station, because they would not be joining you as they need to exit the turnstiles and pay if they do. Hehe.

Goodbye...

Proceed to Exit 4

Just follow the arrows towards Exit 4 and you will see a McDonald’s to your right and a Chinese fast food to your left.

Go up the escalators…

Up, up the escalators

…and buy your ticket to a very fast ride.

You will immediately see the ticket booth when you reach the second floor. Do not worry about not speaking Chinese. English-language signs are all over the place.

The ticket booth

How much is the fare?

For single-trip, it is RMB 50; but if you show your plane ticket, it is only RMB 40. However, if the plane ticket you brought with you does not fly on that same day (like I did), heave a sigh of relief if you have your public transportation card with you; because that will also entitle you to a RMB 40 ticket (like I did).

What I did was, I raced back down to the ground floor again towards the service center to deposit money in my transportation card.

I think these people were thinking of the same thing.

Anyway, round-trip is RMB 80. Now why would you want a round-trip ticket if you are flying out of Shanghai anyway? Because a round-trip ticket is valid for 7 days. You can fly out then come back to Shanghai within the 7-day period.

There are VIP prices too, by the way. Single-trip is RMB 100, and round-trip is RMB 160. All round-trips are valid for 7 days. All discounts are 20% less if you present your plane ticket of the same day or use your public transportation card to pay.

Basically, if you have a VIP ticket, your cabin interiors are nicer; and that’s about it. So decide too if those 7 minutes of your life are worth double the price of a ticket.

In summary–

• Single-trip economy is RMB 50. VIP is RMB 100. Validity is 1 day only.
• Round-trip economy is RMB 80. VIP is RMB 160. Validity is 7 days.
• Souvenir-ticket (for single-trip and economy only) is RMB 55. This is valid for 2 years.

Why is there a special souvenir ticket?

Because they take the tickets when you exit the train. If you want to keep your ticket, buy the souvenir ticket. However, if you are a cheapskate (like me) and is just contented with taking a picture, then just buy the regular-priced ticket.

But if you will be using your public transportation card…

…you do not get a ticket. Just swipe your card like what you normally do. So I just took a picture of my friend’s single-trip economy ticket.

Single-trip economy

Frequent passengers

If you think you will be riding the Maglev quite often, you could buy the RMB 900 ticket good for 30 single trips valid for 1 year from date of purchase.

You can also buy your tickets at the vending machine.

Ticket vending machine

Time table

Take note of the following boarding times and speed increases of the Maglev:

Time table & maximum speeds

Before you board, you might want to check out the Maglev museum at the ground floor. The museum is composed of “Birth of Maglev”, “Maglev Shanghai Line”, “Maglev Technology”, “Maglev Superiorities”, and “Prospects for Maglev” halls.

This is free for Maglev passengers.

The trip is less than 8 minutes. But if you think you would go hungry during that time, well, the station has a small store in the second floor where you can buy last-minute snacks before checking-in–aside from the ones at the ground floor of course.

Small store

Boarding

Like the airport and the metro, there is also luggage-check before boarding the train.

Security x-ray

And there are group check-ins too.

Group check-ins

If you have been to the train or metro station before, the Maglev boarding area does not look any different.

Before riding the train

Once you get in the train, there are places for you to secure your luggage.

Luggage compartments

Lots of seats. Seat anywhere.

We started at this time…

Actually around 14.45. But, dude! Look at the speed after one minute!

Top speed!

…and stopped at this time.

And it was over just like that.

What was the experience like? Well, there were about 2 sharp curves. And it was really fast. Probably if the time was longer than 8 minutes, the ride would not feel as comfortable.

Is it worth a second try? If my time is really short, like I need to get to a business meeting or whatever, the Maglev will save me time definitely. PVG metro station to Longyang will take about 50 minutes already. However, maybe I should be taking an earlier flight instead so as not to stress myself with that time difference.