No roof overhead: Xinzhuang Station overpass draws commuters' ire
The overpass of Xinzhuang Station's south square on Shanghai Metro Line 1 and Line 5 has been an "open air" structure for two years now.
Instead of sheltering commuters from rain and the burning sun, the overpass that leads passengers from Xinzhuang Station on Metro Lines 1 and 5 to its south square is drawing complaints for exposing people to the drippy and scorching weather these days.
The overpass is the only path for passengers entering the station from south or those heading south.
According to a report by Shanghai TV, the overbridge has been kept open-air for two years since its ceiling was removed over safety concerns after Typhoon In-Fa broke part of its covering boards on July 25, 2021.
Since then, whenever it rains or snows, the path, with only the framework left overhead, is wet and slippery, posing risks to commuters.
"Shoes become all wet when walking through the passage," a commuter complained.
The overpass connects the south square and Xinzhuang Metro Station.
The Shanghai Metro operator said that it had developed a plan to repair the overpass but had to cancel it since the plan was already part of a real estate project on top of the Metro station.
Zhang Chong, who is in charge of the project, said in the TV report that they didn't repair the ceiling because they will tear down the overpass within the year in accordance with the development plan of the real estate project.
But he said a temporary overbridge with a firm ceiling will be built besides the current one before the completion of the real estate project.
The Metro operator said it will deploy more manpower to sweep the floor and put more carpets on the ground on rainy days to ensure commuter safety before the temporary bridge is installed.
Commuters use the overbridge on a cloudy day.
