What started out as an idea to make Shanghai's Metro system easier to use has become a costly lesson that seems destined for the leave-well-enough-alone wastebin. Last fall, the city changed the names of three subway stations to identify them with better-known landmarks. The thinking behind the switch was that the name changes would be more descriptive of the destinations served, making them easier to find by locals and out-of-town visitors alike. But after spending more than one million yuan (US$125,000) on new signs, the name switch apparently drew more criticism than praise--or at least not enough support to justify the large cost. The latest criticism came from an article this week in Shanghai's Jiefang Daily, which argued the main product of the switch was confusion over what happened to station names that millions of commuters had become used to. "We will never change the names of existing Metro stations again because it requires a lot of work and causes inconvenience for passengers," Liu Bo, deputy director of the city's place-naming office, told Shanghai Daily yesterday. The problem began late last October. The Henan Road Station on Metro Line 2 was renamed Nanjing Road E.Station. The Shimen I Road Station was renamed Nanjing Road W. Station, and the Wenshui Road E. Station on Metro Line 3 was rechristened Dabaishu Station. Though the public was not consulted on the plan, the Shanghai Shentong Metro Co, the key, city government backed Metro investor, spent more than one million yuan renaming the three stations, Liu said. The money was used to redo hundreds of traffic signs, Metro maps, in-train indicators and audio messages. Many passengers were not impressed. In a spot survey, a Shanghai Daily reporter found yesterday that seven of 10 commuters questioned at the People's Square Station did not support the renaming. "It was totally unnecessary to make the changes since people had long gotten used to the previous Metro names," a passenger surnamed Huang said yesterday. "Metro station names should be easy to remember," he said, nothing that the Nanjing Road E. Station and Nanjing Road E. Station aren't very different and can be confused. Other passengers said the names switch was no big deal but that the government should direct its efforts instead to adding more trains to reduce overcrowding during rush hours. By ZhangJun, Shanghai Daily/Wednesday 4 April 2007