If you like using the ExploreShanghai metro map you'll be pleased to know that new metro maps for Beijing and Guangzhou are in the works.

You can expect all the features from the Shanghai metro map, including a comprehensive route planner, station names in English and Chinese and pronounciations of all stations

The Beijing Subway map will be available later this year at explorebj.com

The Guangzhou Metro map will be available at exploregz.com

The metr0 map now has an improved search facility. Rather than choosing a station from a dropdown list, you can just type the first few letters of the station you're looking for. Here's an example searching for "zho".

Click on any of the search results and the map will zoom to the station. It even works in Chinese, just enter the first characters of the station name you're looking for.

Bonus tip: search faster using the keyboard. Use F3 to jump to the search field, then use the arrow up/down keys to highlight results and press ENTER to zoom there.

The route-planner on the metro map has just had an upgrade! The suggested routes should now be more logical, and the estimated times more accurate.

The gory details:

• Times for transferring between lines are now much more accurate. Fascinating fact: the longest walk between platforms is between line 2 and lines 3/4 at Zhongshan Park (about 4mins 30secs walk). The shortest is between line 4 and line 8 at South Xizang Road (30 seconds). I know, I timed it.
• Timing for the shuttle bus between line 3 at Yishan Road and line 9 at Guilin Road is now more accurate
• The journey times now include approximate waiting times at the initial and interchange stations; for example although line 1 trains arrive every 3-4 minutes, line 9 trains arrive only every 14 minutes
• The routeplanner will now only suggest changing at Shanghai Railway Station (and hence buying a second ticket) if it will save you at least 10 minutes in total journey time over an alternative route.
• Various special cases are dealt with more sensibly. For example, if you try and plot a route from Hongkou Stadium (line 3) to Hongkou Stadium (line 8) the routeplanner will suggest walking!

Of course, no routeplanning can be perfect since the best route and time taken for a journey is affected by many factors. If you have feedback on the routeplanner, or suggestions for improvements, please get in touch!

Inspired by the work of bloggers in Toronto and London I have created my own anagrammed map of the Shanghai Metro!

So if you've ever fancied travelling from I'm a hot dashing dinosaur (Shanghai Indoor Stadium) to Thoroughly Hawaiian Satanists (Shanghai South Railway Station) to Drab Penguin (Nanpu Bridge) now is your chance!

Check it out: Shanghai Metro anagram map

Note for pedants: I used the common English name of the station as posted on signboards, spelling out directions e.g. South Lingyan Road. For some challenging stations (particularly the ones with lots of Xs and Zs I added "station" e.g. Dongjing Station -> Standing, I jog not.

ExploreShanghai is growing in popularity! On the 10th January for the first time there were over 10,000 visits in a day.

Thanks for all the many emails and blog posts with suggestions for improving the metro map , I will endeavour to reply to everyone once I have recovered from a lousy cold. In particular, in the next two months you can expect:

• An improved routeplanner with accurate times for changing lines
• Zooming of the map so you can see (and print) the whole map on a single page
• Other exciting and secret features :)

Thanks to the many people who pointed out that the metro map route planner didn't work too well for journeys via Shanghai Railway Station or Hongkou Stadium. For example, it often makes sense to change between lines 1 and 3 at Shanghai Railway Station, even though this involves buying a second ticket.

The good news is this is now reflected in the journey planner: it will show the price of both parts of the journey where appropriate:

In addition, there are now more accurate journey times and first train/last train information for the new Line 6.

The metro map now has the up to date 2008 prices for all journeys between every pair of stations on the network. Prices range from 2RMB up to 9RMB depending on distance.

To check the price of a journey, just drag your mouse between any two stations. A panel will appear showing the price and estimated journey time.

Of course it's 地铁 (ditie)!

You can now access www.exploreshanghai.com/ditie/ for quick access to the Chinese version of the map.

Lines 6, 8 and 9 will shortly be opening!

The new version of the metro map is now at the main URL www.exploreshanghai.com/metro/ - although accessing www.exploreshanghai.com/metro08/ will continue to work.

I've also added an image-only version of the map if you're stuck without Flash.

Visits to the site are up dramatically over the last few days as people come looking for information about the new lines!

One day to go before all the new lines open!

I have added to the metro map

• first train/last train information for all major stations
• more accurate journey times for new lines
• the free shuttle bus connecting line 9 to the other lines (see below)

More updates for journey times and prices will follow in the next few weeks.