Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Trams in China

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Several cities in China had tram systems during the 20th century; however, by the end of the century, only Dalian and Changchun remained extant. However the 21st century has seen a resurgence in tram transport systems as China struggles with urban traffic congestion and pollution.

Contents

List of historical tram systems

  • Beijing had the first tram system in China. It opened in 1899 and connected Ma-chai-pu Railway Station to the south gate of the city.
  • Fushun city in Liaoning province had a tram system circa 1902, operated by the Manchuria Railway Company with 26 trams.
  • Tianjin city, had a tram system that opened in 1906. By 1933 it had 9 miles of track and operated 116 tramcars. It was closed by 1972.
  • The Changchun tramway system started operations in 1942. By the 1950s the system covered 28 km with 98 cars. The system continues to operate today.
  • In Shanghai there were three tram systems - two operated by the colonial powers of Britain and France and one by a Chinese company. The British system opened in 1908 and was the largest of the three. It had 7 lines and ran 216 tramcars. The French system opened the same year and its 3 lines ran 60 tramcars. The Chinese system opened in 1913 and operated 52 tramcars over 4 lines of some 23.5 km in length.
  • In Shenyang city, the largest city of Liaoning province, a Japanese owned electric tramway opened in 1925 and replaced an earlier horse-drawn tram system that dated from around 1907. By 1937 it had expanded to cover 12 km of track and ran 21 tramcars. It was finally closed in 1973.
  • Harbin city in Heilongjiang province had a system from 1927 with 8 lines and about 40 trams. The system closed in 1987.
  • The city of Anshan, in Liaoning, had a single tram line from 1956 till the late 1990s and the track was dug up in 2006.
  • Dalian city in Liaoning opened its first tram line on September 25, 1909. It was operated by South Manchuria Railway. By 1945, the system had 11 lines. Today 2 lines remain in operation covering 23.4 km. The system is in the process up being updated with a mixture of old tram cars and new modern low floor cars in operation.

    • New tram systems

    Tianjin and Shanghai have recently introduced rubber tired trams for their TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram and Zhangjiang Tram respectively.

    In 2011, Shenyang city decided to construct a new tram network to complement its new metro network, then under construction. The first three lines of the new system were opened on August 15, 2013: Line 1 from New World International Convention & Exhibition Centre to Taoxian street, line 2 from Taoxian Airport to the Olympic Center and line 5 from the Olympic Center to Shenfu New Town. A fourth line - Line 3 opened on 29th June 2015.

    New tram systems opened in Guangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Suzhou and Huai'an. The new system in Suzhou will have 6 lines covering 80 km throughout the city.

    Planned and under construction

    Wuhan, Beijing and Haikou have new light rail systems under construction. The modern tramcars will travel at up to 70 km/hr and have a capacity of between 300 and 500 passengers per tram. While Shenzhen and Ningbo are planning tram networks for the future.

    Hong Kong SAR

    The Chinese Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong has had a tramway system since 1904. The Hong Kong Tramway is a traditional British Isles-style double-decker tramway with street running, along the north shore of Hong Kong Island. Since the 1990s, the MTR Light Rail system has opened in the north west New Territories. Despite its name, the famous Peak Tram is actually a funicular railway.

    References

    Trams in China Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA