Trams are coming, clickety-clack
Print Edition
QUIET, environmentally friendly trams will be added to the public transportation mix in Songjiang under a new two-year project approved by government.
“A modern tram and rapid-bus network will be the major components of Songjiang public transport over the next 10 years,” said the spokesman for the Songjiang Tramcar Investment & Management Co.
Two tramlines will be built and are expected to begin full operation in two years.
The tramcars will be powered by electricity and run on rails embedded in the centers of streets. They will have a maximum speed of 70 kilometer per hour, 5 kilometers faster than conventional buses.
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.
The district’s current public transport is comprised of four systems: Metro Line 9 linking Songjiang and the downtown Xujiahui area, the Jinshan Railway traversing the district from north to south, the Shanghai-Hangzhou Railway and more than 100 local bus lines.
In order not to disturb daily traffic flows, tram rails will be installed without completely closing roads, authorities said. In densely populated neighborhoods, construction work will not be allowed from 10pm to 6am.
Traffic signals will be computerized to give priority to trams at road junctions. That will make trams a faster form of transport.
Compared with conventional bus service, the schedule of travel times and stops for tramcars will be more precise.
Traffic authorities said they hope trams will help ease traffic congestion by reducing use of private cars.
Tram fares haven’t been announced, but they will be subsidized to encourage ridership.
In many cities across the world where tram systems operate, the tramcars are considered a colorful, iconic attraction in the urban landscape.
Authorities want the new Songjiang system to be equally eye-catching. Local residents in Songjiang will be asked in an online poll to choose a color for the new tramcars. “We hope every citizen will participate,” the spokesman said.
Routes for Songjiang’s new tram system:
T1 will start from Rongle Road W., traveling along Minyi, Xinzhen, Xinzhan and Xinyu roads before reaching its terminus at the Xinqiao Station. The line will cover 14.4 kilometers with 20 stops.
T2 will start from 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). It will end at Rongle Road E. The line will span almost 15 kilometers with 19 stops.
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