Shanghai Metro – Modernizing mobility Shanghai, China
It’s hard to imagine how Shanghai would operate without its metro system. It’s one of the busiest in the world, with over 10 million people using its interconnected lines to travel through the city every day.
Yichao Shi parks his electric scooter outside Dabaishu station and heads straight for the escalators to perform routine checks. “The metro covers so much of the city. It’s much easier to travel by public transport than it used to be, and scooters are great for the bits in between,” he adds with a smile.
As a Schindler technician in Shanghai, he knows the escalators he’s inspecting really well – his team recently modernized 191 of them across multiple stations on Lines 3 and 6, all without taking the metro offline for a single day.
Expanding the urban network
Since Lines 3 and 6 first opened in the early 2000s, Shanghai has undergone massive expansion. The metro system alone has more than tripled in length, and, with the sharp increase in passenger numbers, older stations had to be upgraded to keep up.
"The escalators in these stations have to handle a huge amount of daily traffic," says Ke Yang, General Manager, Schindler Shanghai branch. "They’re essential for keeping passengers moving smoothly and preventing bottlenecks during peak hours. The main challenge was to do the renovation work without disrupting the stations’ operations and the surrounding environment."
Innovation in action
To make this possible, the modernization team used an innovative solution: Schindler INTRUSS®. Instead of removing the entire unit, the team left the existing escalator truss in place. The old parts were removed, the truss cleaned and treated with a specialized derusting coating to prevent corrosion, and then new components were fitted inside – meaning no structural redesign or lengthy delays were needed. Out with the old, in with the new.
"We can modernize different types of units this way – not just Schindler escalators, but also third-party brands," explains Yini Shi, Senior Engineer and Schindler INTRUSS® expert. While it sounds straightforward, it requires, among other things, a thorough knowledge of escalator components and installation methods.
The team conducted thorough on-site surveys of the escalators before installation began. This detailed planning, combined with Schindler’s expert installation methodology, provided a structured step-by-step approach that ensured precision, safety, and optimal performance.
Then, to further minimize disruption on-site, all construction work was done overnight after the last trains had left the stations.
Upgrading the experience
Our team hasn’t simply replaced the escalators – there’s been a significant upgrade in how they operate as well. The escalators are now safer and more energy-efficient. The escalators are now fitted with cloud connectivity, enabling remote monitoring via the Technical Operations Center (TOC), enhancing reliability and reducing maintenance-related disruptions that could cause passenger congestion and delays.
"Overall, the new escalators run smoother and are more efficient than before," says Yichao Shi. "The upgrades have improved the commuting experience, making it easier for hundreds of thousands of people to get to where they need to go," he adds, as he boards a train to continue his work at the next station along the line.