Shanghai lines up new tram system_美文_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Shanghai lines up new tram system

The proposed lines - T1 to T6 - will have 118 stops with eight terminals. Some will link with Shanghai Metro's Line 9 and Line 22 at Songjiang University Town, Songjiang Sports Center and Sheshan stations.

By 2016, T1, stretching 16 km from Xinsongjiang Road Station to Xinqiao Station, and phase one of T2, initially about 12 km, will be complete, according to the plan.

The district government also wants to build a depot covering 20 hectares and four park-and-ride stations.

Zhou Huai, deputy director of the transport and port authority, said the tram system will be developed by domestic companies.

The public can send their views to the authority about the plan before Oct 6.

On Wednesday, experts said tram services have a great advantage over other public transportation and are more suitable for new towns with lower populations than traditional urban centers.

China plans to build 2,000 km of modern tram lines by 2020, with an estimated investment of 200 billion yuan.

Transport experts say Shanghai could play a leading role in developing trams, using the latest technologies.

Tram systems are also cost effective - about one-eighth the cost of a subway - and with modern technology, services can reach 70 km per hour, said Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai's Tongji University.

About the broadcaster:

Nelly Min is an editor at China Daily with more than 10 years of experience as a newspaper editor and photographer. She has worked at major newspapers in the U.S., including the Los Angeles Times and the Detroit Free Press. She is also fluent in Korean.