Commuters will find it easier to transfer between bus and subway routes near the north square of Shanghai Railway Station as a renovation project has been approved, the Labor Daily reported today.

The project includes the extension of road networks and building a central plaza near the square, the report said.

The central plaza will have two stories above and beneath the ground. Part of its 2nd floor will serve as an overpass for commuters, which links the waiting hall of the railway station and the northern entrance of the station in the south, the report said.

The overpass will extend eastward to Metro Line 3 and 4 stations at Datong Road. It will also connect to a long-haul bus station, the report said.

The first underground will be an underpass that connects the railway and subway systems to a long-haul bus station, the report said. The second underground floor will serve as a parking lot for up to 500 vehicles, the report said.

The project also aims to improve road conditions near Zhongxing Road, the only street that leads to the square, the report said.

At least 840 buses travel every day on Zhongxing Road between Gonghexin Road and Jiaotong Road. Long-distance coaches hit the road 1,600 times a day, the report said.

Shanghai Railway Station serves about 350,000 passengers every day. The number is expected to rise 30 percent during World Expo 2010, the report said.

(Shanghai Daily May 5, 2008)