Carriages and stops of Shanghai's newly-built underground and maglev trains are to be equipped with toxic gas detectors and wind sensors from September 1, according to a new regulation issued by the Shanghai Municipal Quality Supervision Bureau (QSB) Wednesday.

An official with the bureau announced that the regulation aims to reinforce the operational safety of rail transportation in the city, which has been largely expanded over the past decade.

The Shanghai Municipal QSB regulation states that all entrances, exits, aisles, halls and carriages are to be installed with gas detectors. Wind sensors will also be installed so that, in the event of a toxic gas leak, staff can be informed of wind direction to ensure the safe evacuation of passengers.

The Shanghai underground network currently comprises of five lines, with 80 stops, covering 123 km in length. The municipality aims to add a further 6 lines to the network by 2010, raising the network's capacity to over six million passengers a day -- 35 percent of the city's public transport capacity.

Source: Xinhua