I''ll be going to Shanghai in April. I've done my research - thanks FT - and know that I will take the Maglev train to/from PVG. I have two questions, however:
1) does the train ONLY stop at Longyang Road or does it also stop at the Central Rail Terminal in Shanghai (or any other stops on the subway for that matter) ?
2) is there an automated machine at PVG to buy tickets and, if so, are instructions in English?
Thanks for any help.

1. Longyang road is the only stop
2. I've never seen ticket machines. Just buy at the window. The price is y10 cheaper if you show your flight confirmation or bp

I don't see much point in taking it both ways unless you happen to be staying near the terminus. To the airport is better than from the airport cuz no need to deal with touts at longyang rd stn

Thanks for the info. It helps alot. I would PM you with this message but thought I'd put it here in case others may wonder: Can you explain further about NOT taking the Maglev both ways for the airport, I don't quite understand why it's less desirable to take it from the airport. If it helps at all, I'l be arriving PVG around15:00 on a Friday afternoon so I just assumed that rush hour makes the train a more desirable option. Please explain your thinking and thanks again for the info!

The MagLev is honestly not all that convenient if you're staying in Puxi or even Lujiazui. In many cases, you're better off taking a taxi all the way between the airport and Puxi.

That being said, the MagLev is a fun experience. I rode it as often as possible when I lived there because I enjoyed it.

Also, when taking the MagLev to Longyang Lu, be sure to avoid the maroon colored taxis. They sometimes sneak into the taxi line, and will overcharge you.

If the train went to somewhere useful, it might be more desirable.

Traffic isn't really much of an issue to/from the airport, but the area around Longyang Road (Maglev Stn) can get congested.

You should try the Maglev at least once because it is cool, but it isn't really a time saver for most of us.

I don't think there is any point in taking a taxi from Longyang Rd. More like a choice of Maglev & Metro or taxi from the airport.

A combo of lines 2 & 9 is surprisingly convenient for some parts of Lujiazui, the former Expo grounds (switch to line 8) and further on Xujiahui.

Lines 6 and 7 also have their merits, the latter of course connecting Longyang Rd. with the nearby Jumeirah and Shangri-La hotels.

My biggest problems with Maglev followed by subway are:
-Line 2 can be insanely crowded (and our OP happens to be arriving on a Friday afternoon... that's pretty much the worst possible time)
-Line 7 isn't nearly as crowded as Line 2, but manages to take twice as long between Longyang Rd and JA Temple... eliminating any possible chance of the entire journey being on par with a taxi in terms of travel time
-Having to make an additional subway transfer is sufficient to make the entire process annoying enough to rule it out as an option for me

Yup. I normally only use the line 2&9 combo to get to my usual hotel in Lujiazui or then line2&4 for Shanghai Main Railway Station.

For meetings, also use line 2&9, especially as I can easily switch to line 8 from the latter and get to many office locations south of People's Square. Or then continue straight to Xujiahui where many regular meeting partners reside.

That sounds like a bit more time and effort than simply jumping in a taxi on the curb, which brings you directly to the front door of your hotel/office:

-walk 300 meters to Maglev
-buy ticket
-wait for Maglev to depart (average 10 minutes during peak hours)
-transfer from Maglev to Line 2 (150 meters)
-transfer from Line 2 to Line 9 (100 meters)
-endure Line 2 (even if only for 5 minutes, it's still unpleasant)
-walk from Line 9 exit to your destination

I sure wouldn't want to do that drill with any sort of luggage in tow.

Maglav is cool to do it once.

However what I hate about the maglav is the taxi line at Longyang Road.

If you come after regular business hours, you have all the black cabs and non-metered taxi's that try to rip you off.

They block the legitimate taxi lines off and force people to look for taxi down the street. Really difficult to do with luggage.

During regular business hours, enough police in the neighborhood to control this type of behavior.

You are absolutely right about the line 2 part, best avoided altogether except on the easternmost stretch between Guanglan Rd and PVG.

Line 9 I find generally pleasant although passenger levels are increasing steadily. Century Avenue in Pudong and Lujiabang Rd. in Puxi are modern transit stations with limited schlep.

Line 4 (the circle line) is also far preferable to line 1 in getting to Shanghai Main Railway Station from Pudong. Personally I find line 1 the worst of all in terms of congestion.

Agree fully with this. In general my thoughts are:

- If you've never ridden the maglev do it
- Cabs from the airport can be expensive, so the maglev does save money
- But the cabbies are the worst at this station, in fact I've never had a cab problem in Puxi only in Pudong around here (if you speak Chinese and know your way around Shanghai no problem, or just take a reputable cab company - read the China FAQ)
- With little luggage transfer to line 2 is super convenient,
esp to Lujiazui (but will be crowded at rush hour times) - I recently did Maglev to line two to the Grant Hyatt without touching a cab

the biggest problem these days is the taxi from Longyang Rd to the city.

As others have mentioned, there is a little taxi mafia who block the reglar taxi line and want to charge RMB400 for a ride to the city (which should be around RMB50-55).

There is an easy way around this... when you arrive at the taxi rank there is a small road (where the taxis line up) separated by a very low barrier from the main road.

Simply hail a taxi on the main road, wait for it to stop (no problems) and then climb over the small fence and load your bags into the boot and off you go.

The taxi mafia don't like it, but for the most part won't get too upset.

I always take the maglev both ways to and from the airport. It gets me to Jing'An or back in around an hour and avoids the sometimes crowded metro, or more importantly, having to find a taxi once I get into the city.

I'm arriving in Shanghai at 3pm on a Friday afternoon in a couple of weeks time. I then fly out of Pudong at 11am on Sunday. Staying at the Peninsula. On reading these posts it appears that the easiest/most comfortable way is to take a hotel car both ways. If we did want to take the maglev we would be better off doing so on the way TO the airport?

Yes. To the airport is better because you won't have to deal with the taxi scene at the Maglev Station. Plus, on Friday afternoon, surface street traffic (e.g. between the Maglev Stn and the highway) can be awful. You're going to have to deal with traffic in the last mile no matter what.

Also, on the off chance you aren't aware, car services from 5 star hotels typically cost A LOT (e.g. 5x) more than taxis. The coolest thing about them IMO is the greeting by the driver as you come out of customs (obviously, this is not a benefit on the way to the airport), but this perk is not worth the $100 premium unless my guests are extremely important and/or old.