There are quite a few passengers, including the early morning and late night overtime station express train, and the cross provincial subway from Suzhou to Shanghai, Kunshan | Express | Overtime train
On June 24th, Suzhou Metro Line 11 was opened, and it can be transferred to Shanghai Metro Line 11 at Kunshan Huaqiao. The Shanghai Suzhou Metro is connected together, taking more than 3 hours from the center of Shanghai to the center of Suzhou. For several months, some people have been saying that it is more convenient for people from Kunshan to stop at subway stations like this. If they live in Suzhou city and travel back and forth to Shanghai city, it will definitely be faster by high-speed rail, and it will definitely be more convenient to drive from time to time.
In fact, since the day when the Shanghai Suzhou Rail Transit was connected, in order to facilitate cross provincial commuters, Suzhou Rail Transit Line 11 has already launched the "Big Station Express". Before and after the normal operating hours every day, some stations with high passenger flow are selected to stop, while small stations do not stop. In the morning, express trains heading towards Huaqiao depart from Gongqing Station in the west of Kunshan City at 5:25 and 5:45 respectively; The express train to Gongqing Station at night departs at 22:53 and 23:10 at Huaqiao Station. Starting from August 15th, while the original express train at the main station remains unchanged, Suzhou Metro Line 11 will add the express train starting from Weiting Station, which will depart from Weiting Station at 22:30 after the last regular train at Weiting Station at 22:40 and 22:50 respectively. The final station will be Xiajianhe Park Station located in the east of Kunshan City.
Does the Grand Station Express really facilitate inter provincial travel, and who is taking the morning and evening overtime express? The reporter experienced the actual situation of the operation of express trains at major stations in Suzhou in the morning and evening.
Who is still rushing from Suzhou city to Kunshan or Shanghai at night? After 22:00 one night, the reporter saw at the starting station of Suzhou Line 11, Weiting Station, that the Suzhou Line 3 train coming from the direction of Suzhou city had just stopped steadily. Many passengers who came out skillfully and quickly passed through the transfer channel and ran towards the platform of Line 11. The reporter followed the crowd to the platform and counted, about 100 people, catching this express train. Not long after, the last express train from the big station also arrived, and the reporter counted again, about forty passengers. The staff of Weiting Station told reporters that if it is a weekend, the passenger flow of the express train at the overtime station will be even larger. During this period, Suzhou residents have put forward many suggestions for extending the nighttime travel time.
At night, at Kunshan Huaqiao Station, as the last express train from the main station was about to arrive, the number of passengers waiting for the train gradually increased.
The reporter took the last express train from Weiting Station. On the train, the reporter encountered a Shaanxi tourist who took the subway to and from Suzhou city and Kunshan on the same day. They went to Suzhou gardens, music fountains, and other places to play. They had originally planned to catch the train to Kunshan Huaqiao, but later stayed for a while due to the play and missed the last bus at 22:30. Fortunately, they got on the express train from the main station. After getting off from the terminal station, Xiajianhe Park Station, they didn't have much money to take a taxi.
The next night at 23:00, the reporter changed direction and took the Grand Station Express from Kunshan Huaqiao Station on Suzhou Line 11 to the downtown area of Kunshan. Suzhou Rail Transit staff told reporters that there is still a express train at the main station at 23:10, which has solved the problem of many people returning home. Previously, around 23:00, there were crowds near Huaqiao Station who could not get a taxi. The reporter boarded the last express train from Huaqiao Station on the same day and counted, with over a hundred passengers in six carriages.
At night at Kunshan Huaqiao Station, passengers are waiting on the platform for the express train from the main station.
Late at night, electric vehicles parked outside the Kunshan Xiajianhe Park station.
Guo Yuan, who lives in Kunshan, works in the IT industry in Songjiang, Shanghai. Due to his frequent overtime, he has a deep understanding of the operation of express trains at major stations. He used to drive to work, but since the opening of Suzhou Metro Line 11, he prefers to take the subway. He said that driving may cause traffic congestion, time is uncontrollable, and parking is also troublesome, making parking fees a significant expense.
After observing and interviewing several times, the reporter found several points: firstly, there are relatively fewer commuters among the passengers of the evening express train, and most of them go home after playing in the urban areas of Shanghai or Suzhou. The morning express train is more suitable for office workers who are squeezing their time; The second is the demand and potential for expansion of parking lots at hub stations such as Huaqiao Station. Nearby cars, two wheeled electric vehicles, and bicycles are always fully parked during the day.
Early in the morning, citizens had already entered Kunshan Gongqing Station before the first express train to Huaqiao Station departed. Photo by Ren Junmanganese
Suzhou Line 11 is continuously optimizing its connection with Shanghai to meet various passenger flow needs such as commuting and tourism. Recently, the transformation work of Suzhou Metro Line 3 has officially begun. It is expected that by the end of this year, Line 3 will connect with Line 11 and enter the urban area of Suzhou, achieving fast passage between the main urban area of Suzhou, Kunshan, and Shanghai.
