Shanghai, China is a city renowned for a bevy of sights and wonders throughout. And it still retains a distinct old-world charm in spite of the rapid modernization that has taken place. A recent development on the transportation end looks to be a celebration of both worlds.
City government officials announced recently that trams will be returning to the downtown sector of Shanghai. This marks the first time this form of transportation, which was an integral part of the city dating back to 1908, will be in service to citizens again. At present, there is only one tram route in operation, located at the Zhangjiang High Tech Park in the Pudong New Area. This line runs for six miles and has 15 stops. Tram routes were approved last year for the Songjiang district in order to connect with the Metro Line 9. These two trams are set to be completed and open by 2017, and the electric trams will have four cars with a capacity of 368 people. The top speed of the trams is estimated at 49 miles per hour.
The newest lines will cover 8 miles between the Xupu and Nanpu bridges and run through the Xuhui district, in close proximity to the Huangpu riverbanks and Longwu Road. Construction on this line is slated to begin in 2017, with no estimated completion date as of yet. The Qingpu district will also see two tram lines built, with the northern branch to run for 3 miles and have 12 stops and the southern branch run for 5 miles and have up to 18 stops. Furthermore, there are plans to have 2,500 parking spaces built along the Huangpu river in addition to designated jogging lanes and transportation hubs that will connect these trams with other railway lines and rental stations.
The city government has put these plans in action with an eye of furthering green development within Shanghai as well as to attain a goal of making the city less congested for residents & tourists alike. These initiatives will most certainly keep Shanghai on its upward climb as a city on the move.
