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Shenyang Modern Tram

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Open
  
15 August 2013

Lines
  
3

Shenyang Modern Tram

Locale
  
Shenyang, People's Republic of China

Track gauge
  
1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in)

Shenyang Modern Tram is the first partly battery powered tram both in China and Asia. This tram system mostly uses traditional overhead wire system, but partly uses charged battery system, without overhead wire.

Contents

Shenyang once had a standard steel wheeled tramway network. It first was opened as horse tram and later converted to electric tram. Routes were built step by step, and it reached their most widespread network in 1945 with 170 tramcars. But like most cities around the world during the sixties & seventies, the tram service was completely stopped in 1974.

Trams returned in Shenyang in 2012. Commercial service started in 2013. Shenyang Modern Tram started construction in June 2012. In August 15, 2013, Shenyang tram trial operation started, and in 15 September 2013 officially passenger operations started. The whole plan of Shenyang Modern Tram is running from Olympic Centre, near Aoizhongxin station of Shenyang Metro Line 2 to Shenfu Xincheng, Expo Centre and Taoxian Airport. Now the 54.8-km-long 1st phase. include two stops which can change to Shenyang Metro Line 2, one is Aoizhongxin, the other is Baitahelu, operating mileage of China's longest tram system. Shenyang tram uses BT model investment by the CNR 4.82 billion yuan by the construction and Veolia Transport RATP Asia, which is a joint venture between Veolia Transport (now Transdev) and RATP Dev.

History

After closing tram network in seventies, people of Shenyang thought the only un fashioned obstacle of smooth city traveling has removed, and the city can move faster than before, but it proved false some years later. Uncontrolled increasing of petrol vehicles like bus, taxicab, and private car started chocking the streets of Shenyang. Like most Asian countries, China suffered by many problems of developing countries, including pollution, traffic jam, illegal migration, low literacy and booming increasing of population etc. Increasing population started increasing urbanization of Shenyang, and it started increasing motor vehicles, which started increasing air & sound pollution, traffic jam & smog. The city even became slower than pre-tram closure era. From starting '80, all this problems started and at mid '90, inhabitants of Shenyang realized that non-controlling of motor vehicles & closure of tram was a great mistake. Many cities around the world like Tunis, Algiers, Oran, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Pyongyang, Dublin, Edinburgh, Athens, Bergen etc. also understood that error, and like them, two Chinese cities Tianjin & Shanghai also returned tram. Mainly looking Tianjin & Shanghai, Shenyang also planned for return of tram.

Understanding the great mistake of former tram closure, government started to decrease pollution as soon as possible. Looking many cities around the world i.e. – Algiers, Buenos Aires, Athens, Pyongyang, Tianjin, Shanghai etc., authority planned to return trams in Shenyang. But then number of cars & buses had already increased very much in Downtown Shenyang, so opening a tramway system were not possible there. Minding this, transport authority decided to construct it in the south of Hun He, which is in southern side of the main city. Shenyang's transport authority at last decided to open a separate, modern, high speed partly battery powered tram.

December 1, 2011, Shenyang City, announced plans to open five lines in March 2012 to build "Hunnan modern streetcar project" plan, a total length of 65 km, in April 2013 trial run, June 2013 officially put into use . February 17, 2012, the project started construction, according to the revised timetable on the progress of the project groundbreaking ceremony, Shenyang new tram system will be test run in March 2013, the formal operation in June, a construction line Save of four, full-length was reduced to about 60 kilometres. tramways actual passenger test run on August 15, September 15 official ticketing operation. The line is operated by Shenyang Hunnan Modern Transportation Operations Limited.

The new system was chosen for south Shenyang, because it is a less congested and planned area, and commuting between one place to another in that area has become a serious problem. It was selected as a partly battery operated system, because it will reduce use of overhead-wire, which makes an eyesore for some people. Another advantage of this type of tram is they will utilize much less electricity for using recharged battery, so it will reduce production of electricity lesser in power station, so it is more eco-friendly.

Timeline

  • 1974 – The last standard tram ran.
  • 2011 – Construction of a partly battery powered tram was decided.
  • 2012 – Officially construction was started .
  • 2013 – Commercial service was opened in 15 August.
  • Features

    The entire Shenyang Modern tram network is a hybrid type. It runs partly on unreserved grooved-rail track, shared with other vehicles, partly runs on unreserved segregated track with raised rail, like mainline railway in which it is completely separated from other vehicles. In some parts it also runs on a reserved grassy track. Some area is overhead wire free, especially near the Airport due to safety concerns of aircraft; some city places are wire-free as well. At those areas, tramcars stop for 30 seconds, and at times they rise their pantographs towards overhead charging caternary. After charging the battery this way, they start moving again towards the next stop, where they would recharge again.

    Tickets

    The implementation of a single one-way fare as 2 Yuan. Tram payment are tentative to two kinds, cash and IC card.

    Tram routes

  • 1 – Olympic Centre to Expo Centre
  • 2 – Olympic Centre to Taoxian Airport
  • 5 – Olympic Centre to Shenfu Xincheng
  • Network info

  • Total length – 54.8 kilometres (34.1 mi)
  • Opened – September 15, 2013
  • Number of stops – 67
  • Number of routes – 3 (a fourth is under construction)
  • Gauge – Standard gauge
  • Number of tramcars – 30
  • Depots & termini

    The only tram depot is at Hunnan. Termini are Olympic Centre, Shenfu Xincheng, Expo Centre and Taoxian Airport.

    Alignment and interchanges

    The modern tram routes partly run on unreserved track at middle of the road, partly on grass-bed, partly on raised rail track.

    There are interchanges with Shenyang Metro Line 2 – one at Aoizhongxin, the other at Baitahelu.

    Rolling stock

    The 30 low-floor trams are manufactured by Voith, together with the Chinese manufacturer Changchun Railway Vehicles Company. All trams are low floor, fully air conditioned, can run high speed. Each tram has three cars. It takes electricity via pantograph.

    Projects

    Line 3 is under construction. It will run from Century Building (where interchange will be possible with a Subway Line 2 station Shijidasha) to Expo Centre via University Science City. At North-Eastern University it will meet with Line 1. This new route is expected to open in 2016.

    Criticism

    The modern tram of Shenyang is very popular & useful for daily passengers & inhabitants of South Shenyang. It's great looking impresses very much about citizens. Although some criticize that it is a bit expensive due to partly wire-free section. It is a great example that a modern tram network is completely alternation of a metro network where population density is lower, roads are wider.

    Incidents and Accidents

  • August 15 – opening of the first day of 10:00, opened less than one hour, a jeep collided with the same direction from the Olympic Shen Fu new town to start tram.
  • August 22 – cars and a tram in the National Games in Shenyang and Avenue Rd intersection collision.
  • September 2 – Hunnan hail, silver calories tracks submerged, some streetcars forced drove back.
  • October 20 – night Line 2 fails, Taoxian airport direction more than one hour late.
  • November 25 – the night of the 2nd line of a car fails twice in a row. Afterwards by the operating company to analyse the reasons for the failure "does not alleviate the brake."
  • December 24 – tram line 2 two rear-end six people were injured.
  • References

    Shenyang Modern Tram Wikipedia