Several cities in China had tram systems during the 20th century; however, by the end of the century, only Dalian and Changchun remained extant.[1] However the 21st century has seen a resurgence in tram transport systems as China attempts to combat with urban traffic congestion and pollution.

The first tram in Shanghai (1908)
Dalian historical tram. Its use is still preserved to date in limited area in the city.
Dalian modern tram. Tram type DL6WA, mark Dalianren (meaning "Dalian people") manufactured by Tram Factory of Dalian Public Transport Group. The blue one is manufactured in 2009, the other in 2001–2003.
Changchun Trams

List of historical tram systems

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  • Beijing had the first tram system in China. It opened in 1899 and connected Majiapu Railway Station to the south gate of the city. Trams were phased out 1958 to 1959.
  • Fushun, Liaoning had a tram system circa 1902, operated by the Manchurian 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 (17 mi) 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 British system merged with Chinese system in 1952. The French system opened the same year and its 3 lines ran 60 tramcars. Like the British it merged into the Chinese system in 1953. The Chinese system opened in 1913 and operated 52 tramcars over 4 lines of some 23.5 km (14.6 mi) in length. The last tram services ended in 1975.
  • In Shenyang, Liaoning, a Japanese owned electric tramway opened in 1925 and replaced an earlier horse-drawn tram system that dated from around 1907.[2] By 1937 it had expanded to cover 12 km (7.5 mi) of track and ran 21 tramcars. It was finally closed in 1973.
  • Harbin, Heilongjiang had a system from 1927 with 8 lines and about 40 trams. The system closed in 1987.
  • The city of Anshan, Liaoning, had a single tram line from 1956 till the late 1990s and the track was dug up in 2006.
  • Dalian, 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 (14.5 mi). 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

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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. The first three lines of the new system were opened on August 15, 2013.[3][4] A year later, Nanjing opened the new Hexi trams just before the 2014 Youth Olympics. Since them new tram systems opened in a number of cities in China such as Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Zhuhai, Wuhan, Huai'an and Beijing.

Ridership

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According to an expert affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, some of the newly constructed tram networks were built without considering the suitability of this mode of transportation well, leading to low-passenger numbers due to the tram lines serving less-densely populated outskirts, slow operating speeds and with unrecoverable operating costs.[5] Some tram systems are built primarily to promote tourism, rather than filling a transportation niche and have been called white elephant projects, such as the Delingha Tram. Other tram systems have been more successful, such as the Huai'an Tram, Beijing's Xijiao line and Haizhu Tram.[6]

Light rail/Tram systems

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Legend

  - In operation.
  - Under test run.
  - Out of service

Lines
Line (not services) System Locale Length Stations Opened
Xijiao line Beijing Subway* Beijing 08.8 km (5.5 mi) 6 2017-12-30
Yizhuang T1 line Beijing Subway* Beijing 11.9 km (7.4 mi) 14 2020-12-31
54 Changchun Tram Changchun 07.6 km (4.7 mi) 16 (10 shared) 1941-11-01
55 Changchun Tram Changchun 09.6 km (6.0 mi) 19 (10 shared) 1941-11-01
Line 3 Changchun Subway* Changchun 31.9 km (19.8 mi) 32 2002-10-30
Line 2 Chengdu Metro* Chengdu 39.3 km (24.4 mi) 35 2018-12-26
201 Dalian Tram Dalian 11.6 km (7.2 mi) 18 1909-??-??
202 Dalian Tram Dalian 12.6 km (7.8 mi) 19 1909-??-??
Line 1 Dujiangyan M-TR Dujiangyan 17.3 km (10.7 mi) 17 2024-05-15
Line 2 Dujiangyan M-TR Dujiangyan 17.3 km (10.7 mi) 13 2024-05-15
Gaoming Tram (TGM1) Foshan Gaoming Tram Foshan 6.57 km (4.08 mi)[7] 10 2019-12-30[7]
Nanhai Tram Line 1 (TNH1) Foshan Nanhai Tram Foshan 14.4 km (8.9 mi)[8] 15 2021-08-18[8]
Haizhu Tram (THZ1) Guangzhou Modern Tram Guangzhou 07.7 km (4.8 mi) 11 2014-12-31
Huangpu Tram Line 1 Guangzhou Modern Tram Guangzhou 14.3 km (8.9 mi)[9] 19 2020-07-01[9]
5XX, 6XX, 7XX MTR Hong Kong 36.2 km (22.5 mi) 68 1988-09-18[a][b]
Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong 30.0 km (18.6 mi) 120 1904-07-30[c]
Line 1 Honghe Modern Tram Mengzi 13.3 km (8.3 mi) 15 2020-10-01
Line 1 Huai'an Modern Tram Huai'an 20.0 km (12.4 mi) 23 2015-12-28
Line 1 Huangshi Tram Huangshi 26.8 km (16.7 mi) 30 2021-12-30
Line 1 Jiaxing Tram Jiaxing 11.2 km (7.0 mi)[10] 12[10] 2021-06-25
Hexi line Nanjing Hexi Modern Tram Nanjing 07.6 km (4.7 mi) 13 2014-08-01
Qilin line Nanjing Qilin Modern Tram Nanjing 08.9 km (5.5 mi) 13 2017-10-31
Chengyang line Qingdao Modern Tram Qingdao 08.7 km (5.4 mi) 12 2016-03-05
Line T1 Sanya Modern Tram Sanya 8.37 km (5.20 mi)[11] 15 2019-01-01
Line T1 Shanghai Songjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 2019-08-10
Line T2 Shanghai Songjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 13.9 km (8.6 mi) 20 2018-12-26
Line 1 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 12.2 km (7.6 mi) 27 (17 shared) 2013-08-31
Line 2 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 14.8 km (9.2 mi) 18 (12 shared) 2013-08-31
Line 3 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 11.3 km (7.0 mi) 18 (5 shared) 2015-06-29
Line 4 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 2019-01-05
Line 5 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 21.4 km (13.3 mi) 25 2013-08-31
Line 6 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 2019-01-05
Longhua line Shenzhen Modern Tram Shenzhen 11.7 km (7.3 mi) 20 2017-10-28
Line 1 Suzhou New District Modern Tram Suzhou 25.7 km (16.0 mi) 15 2014-10-26
Line 2 Suzhou New District Modern Tram Suzhou 18.6 km (11.6 mi) 13 2018-08-31
Line 1 Tianshui Tram Tianshui 12.926 km (8.0 mi) 12 2020-05-01[12]
Line 4 Wenshan Tram Qiubei 13.96 km (8.7 mi)[13] 10 2021-05-15
Line T1 Wuhan Auto-city Modern Tram Wuhan 16.8 km (10.4 mi) 22 2017-07-28
Line T1 Wuhan Optics Valley Modern Tram Wuhan 12.5 km (7.8 mi) 17 (3 shared) 2018-04-01
Line T2 Wuhan Optics Valley Modern Tram Wuhan 19.2 km (11.9 mi) 25 (3 shared) 2018-04-01
Line 1 Wuyi Tram Wuyi New Area (Nanping) 26.185 km (16.271 mi)[14] 6 2022-01-01[14]
Line 1[15] Zhuhai Modern Tram Zhuhai 08.9 km (5.5 mi) 14 2017-06-13
Line 1 Shanghai Zhangjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 09.8 km (6.1 mi) 15 2010-01-01
TEDA line TEDA Modern Tram Tianjin 07.8 km (4.8 mi) 14 2007-05-10

Under construction

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Suspended

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Lanzhou New Area planned a 5-line modern tram network[20] but construction was halted in 2017 due to newly imposed restraints on borrowing.[21]

Planned

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  • Nanjing
    • Nanjing Jiangxinzhou Tram (南京江心洲有轨电车)
  • Tianjin (Xiqing Tram T2)[22]
  • Zhuzhou Tram (株洲有轨电车)

Lhasa,[23] Haikou, Quanzhou,[24] Zhengzhou, Kunshan,[25] Baotou, Korla,[25] Anshun,[25] Hangzhou,[26] Changzhou,[26] Taizhou[27] and Huangshan[28] are planning tram networks for the future.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Not part of China in 1988
  2. ^ 5XX and 6XX lines opened in 1988; 7XX lines opened in 1993 with the opening of the Tin Shui Wai Extension [yue; zh-tw] in three phases in 1993 (phases one and two) and 1995 (phase three) – phases four and five had since been opened in 2003.
  3. ^ Not part of China in 1904

References

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  1. ^ "China's Old Tram Systems - A Quick Round Up". China Rhyming. Hong Kong Railway Society. 25 February 2009. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  2. ^ Crush, Peter. "Kaiping Railway -China's second "first" railway". Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  3. ^ "沈阳有轨电车3号线载客运营 公交地铁无缝对接-沈阳-中华人民共和国交通运输部". zizhan.mot.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-01-16.
  4. ^ "Shenyang tramway opens". www.railwaygazette.com. Railway Gazette. 15 August 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
  5. ^ "云南红河州有轨电车否认暂停运营,一年八千万资金缺口难解". m.thepaper.cn. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  6. ^ "严重亏损、停运甚至拆除,有轨电车前期可行性研究为何失效? | 界面新闻". m.jiemian.com. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
  7. ^ a b "定了!12月30日,高明有轨电车开通初期运营". Foshan Metro. 2019-12-29.
  8. ^ a b "明天中午12点,南海有轨电车一号线首通段初期运营 ,未来可在这个点换乘地铁". 2021-08-17.
  9. ^ a b "官宣:黄埔有轨电车1号线示范段明天开通". 2020-06-30.
  10. ^ a b "嘉兴市有轨电车一期工程示范段开通公告". 2021-06-24.
  11. ^ "三亚有轨电车示范线开通载客运营".
  12. ^ "【视频】5月1日10点,天水有轨电车将通车运营". 2020-05-01.
  13. ^ "云南文山州有轨电车示范项目4号线开始收费试运行".
  14. ^ a b "福建首条轻轨元旦通车运营!票价是……". 2021-12-30. 总长26.185km
  15. ^ "珠海有轨电车停运许久 话题仍不断 到底是否该拆除?_运营". www.sohu.com. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
  16. ^ "中国城市轨道交通网". www.chinametro.net. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  17. ^ "这不是铜梁"猪儿虫"而是"滚地龙"!铜梁导轨电车试验线进入单体调试阶段-上游新闻 汇聚向上的力量". www.cqcb.com. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
  18. ^ "嘉兴市有轨电车、火车站枢纽及沪嘉城际铁路先行工程集中开工仪式成功举行". 2019-12-30.
  19. ^ "西安高新区有轨电车试验线环境影响评价第一次公示". 2019-09-25.
  20. ^ "Modern tram lines to be built in Lanzhou New Area". This is Lanzhou. 2015-11-17.
  21. ^ "China GDP powers past debt purge, leaving trail of dead projects". The Asean Post. 2018-01-16.
  22. ^ "天津市西青区低运量有轨电车T2线一期工程社会稳定风险分析信息公示". 2019-12-16.
  23. ^ "拉萨轨道交通".
  24. ^ fujian, chinanews. 泉州这两条现代有轨电车今年6月要开工 路线公布 | 中国新闻网-福建. www.fj.chinanews.com (in Chinese (China)). Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  25. ^ a b c 财政部公布第四批PPP示范项目 这三个有轨电车项目入选…… | 自由微信 | FreeWeChat. freewechat.com. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  26. ^ a b 有轨电车行业一周要闻. www.sohu.com. 2018-02-04. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
  27. ^ "2019年通车!台州市首条现代有轨电车开工建设-台州频道". tz.zjol.com.cn. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  28. ^ "黄石经济技术开发区·铁山区". www.hsdz.gov.cn. Retrieved 2020-05-29.