It is not yet eight on a Tuesday morning but line 7, which shuttles commuters in from the northern suburbs of Shanghai, is already jam-packed as it approaches downtown. Throngs of passengers stand shoulder to shoulder in metro rail cars, with next to no personal space between them, using one hand to grab a hold of any surface to balance themselves while using the other to hold a mobile phone offering up entertainment in the form of TV dramas and social media messages.

This is the daily scene in Shanghai on what is now the world’s largest metro system, comprised of 16 lines, with more under construction.

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