The last trains of Metro lines 2, 5, 7, 8 and 16 from their terminal stations will be rescheduled to 9pm from Saturday, Shanghai Metro said on Friday.

Metro operators justified the decision due to a significant drop in passengers since the coronavirus outbreak and the need for maintenance of the Metro facilities.

While average daily Metro traffic between February 1 and 10 was only 1 million people, only 10 percent of a normal day, ridership has not picked up substantially since companies in Shanghai were allowed to resume work.

Metro passengers are especially few after 9pm, according to the company.

The company said it will use the reduced operating schedule to more carefully sanitize and disinfect the trains and make the Metro safer through maintenance.