|
TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
TEDA MGRT Tram |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram is a Translohr Light Rail system in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area. It is a modern, high speed rubber tired tram system, both first in China & Asia.
Tianjin once had a conventional steel-wheeled tramway network. The system gradually expanded and reached its peak in 1933 with 116 tramcars. But like most cities around the world during the sixties & early seventies, the tram service was abandoned in 1972.
Trams returned in Tianjin in 2006. Commercial service started in 2007. Unlike standard tramway, the Translohr rubber-tired LRT system was chosen.
Contents |
After abandonment of the tram network in 1972, gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles such as buses, taxis, and private automobiles started choking the streets. Like most Asian countries, China suffered many problems, including pollution, gridlock, and a sudden increase in population etc. Increasing population started increasing urbanization of Tianjin, thus more motor vehicles clogged the streets and increased pollution and worsened gridlock. Metro construction started 2 years before the tramway closure. However, it took 14 years to complete the first line as the construction was interrupted greatly by an earthquake and lack of workers. The city was suffering from congestion unheard of in the days of trams and it needed more metro lines, and fast, but construction costs were high. It was not possible for Tianjin in a short period. Another solution was needed. To solve the problem in a cheaper way, they decided to build an elevated rail system in eastern Tianjin, but although it was cheaper than metro, construction of elevated tracks and stations were also costly. So elevated rail also wasn't the permanent solution. Many cities around the world like Tunis, Sydney, Buenos Aires and Pyongyang were building LRT systems, and like them, Tianjin also planned for the return of trams.
In the 1990s the government looked for a way to decrease pollution as soon as possible. Looking many cities around the world, the decision was made to reinstate trams in Tianjin. By then number of cars & buses had increased uncontrollably in Downtown Tianjin, so opening a tramway system were not possible there. The transport authority decided to construct the LRT network in the Tianjin Economic Development Area in eastern side of the main city at Tanggu district.
Construction began in 2005 and the 7.86 km (4.88 mi) long line was opened to the public in 2007, making it the first modern LRT system in mainland China. The cost of the line is about 190 million yuan. The line is operated by Binhai Mass Transit. The total investment 500 million yuan, of which an engineering test-line 190 million yuan (excluding vehicles). At last, the LRT started running in Tianjin in 2007, and quickly became popular.
The new system was chosen for TEDAbecause moving from "point A" to "point B" had become slow and difficult with the increase in road traffic. The TEDA industrial zone has been Tianjin's fastest developing area.
The LRT runs from TEDA City Centre to North of College District.
The LRVs for the line were manufactured by Translohr of France. All LRVs are low floor, fully air conditioned, and can run high speed. Each LRV has three sections (Translohr STE 3) .
TEDA City Centre & North of College District are the two termini.
| Number | Station Name | Chinese | Total distance | Transfers | Area |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEDA MGRT (天津开发区导轨电车一号线) | |||||
| T01 | TEDA | 泰达 | Jinbin Line 1 — 116 | Tanggu | |
| T02 | First Avenue | 第一大街 | |||
| T03 | Second Avenue | 第二大街 | |||
| T04 | Third Avenue | 第三大街 | |||
| T05 | Fourth Avenue | 第四大街 | |||
| T06 | Fifth Avenue | 第五大街 | |||
| T07 | Sixth Avenue | 第六大街 | |||
| T08 | Seventh Avenue | 第七大街 | |||
| T09 | Ninth Avenue | 第九大街 | |||
| T10 | Tenth Avenue | 第十大街 | |||
| T11 | Eleventh Avenue | 第十一大街 | |||
| T12 | South of College District | 学院区南 | |||
| T13 | College District | 学院区 | |||
| T14 | North of College District | 学院区北 | |||
The LRT route runs on unreserved tracks, mostly in the middle of the road. It crosses many numerical avenues of TEDA & connects north to south of College district. All stops have island platforms.
A train derailed on the evening of August 20, 2007.[1]
Trams in Tianjin - the first generation tramway network
Tianjin suburban train
Zhangjiang Tram - rubber tired LRT of Shanghai
|
||||||||