Laying track for district’s green transport plan
Print Edition
Construction on Songjiang’s 800-kilometer tram system began last month, causing temporary road works that district officials hope will lead to a smoother, greener transport network when all is completed in five years.
The new system will have six tramlines extending about 90 kilometers.
The first segments are expected to begin operation in two years.
The tramcars will be powered by electricity and will run on rails embedded in streets. They will have a maximum speed of 70 kilometers per hour, 5 kilometers faster than conventional buses.
The trams not only produce eco-green travelling, but they are also expected to greatly ease traffic knots during rush hours.
Two models of tramcars will operate on the new lines — a five-compartment version with the capacity to carry 300 people, and a seven-compartment version allowing up to 400 passengers.
Rongle Road M. will carry one tramline, necessitating a major reconfiguration of motorways, non-motor lanes and sidewalks.
On each side of the roadway, there will be a four-meter-wide tramcar lane, three lanes for cars, a 3.5-meter-wide non-motor lane and a sidewalk 2 meters wide.
Motor vehicles will be allowed to travel in tramcar lanes, but they won’t be able to change lanes. If drivers want to exit a tram lane, they will have to wait until the next road junction.
According to the broader transport blueprint, the district’s tramcar network will link with six bus lines and 118 bus stations, stretching 90 kilometers to connect the Jinshan Railway and Metro lines 9 and 12.
New parking lots in Chenta Road, University Town, Zhongchun Road, Beisong Road and Xinqiao Town are also planned.
Songjiang is one of the two areas of Shanghai with new tram projects planned.
The other will go into service on Yan’an Road downtown.
They face challenges after Shanghai Pudong Modern Tramway Co, the operator of the city’s first modern tram, shelved plans for expansion, citing high operating costs.
Pudong Modern Tramway runs trams between Jinqiu Road and the Zhangjiang High-Tech Park station. It has been in the red to the tune of 20 million yuan a year, according to the Shanghai Morning Post. It has pared seven trams to five and reduced the frequency of service.
Sun Zhang, a teacher at Tongji University, told Shanghai Daily last week that Songjiang’s system has better prospects for success.
He said trams operate most efficiently in areas with populations between 500,000 and 1 million people and in areas not heavily industrial.
The first two tramlines:
The T1 line will span 14.4 kilometers with 20 stops. It will start at Rongle Road W., traveling along Minyi, Xinzhen, Xinzhan and Xinyu roads before reaching its terminus at the Xinqiao Station.
The T2 line will cover almost 15 kilometers with 19 stops. It will start at Rongle Road W., traveling along Sanxin Road N., New Songjiang Road, Renmin Road N., Meijiabang Road, Jiasong Road S., Guangfulin Road, Zhongchuang Road (tentative) and Jinxi Road (tentative). The line will end at Rongle Road E.
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