Streetcar construction impulse
China News Weekly reporter Zhou Qunfeng
Published in the 1128th issue of "China News Weekly" magazine on February 5, 2024
Recently, as Tianshui City, Gansu Province borrowed money to build trams, resulting in an annual deficit of more than 38 million yuan, and potential geological risks and other problems were exposed by relevant central departments, trams have once again become a hot topic.
Trams, also known as "street trams", refer to light-duty rail transit vehicles that are powered by electricity and run on tracks, generally no more than five knots. Because it is powered by electricity, it does not emit waste gas and is considered an environmentally friendly means of transportation.
However, with billions of dollars invested, trams have become "the most controversial of all modern public transportation vehicles." Compared with the preference of some politicians for building trams, netizens often express their dissatisfaction with such terms as "occupying road resources", "wasting financial allocations", "too remote" and "not as fast as buses".
In recent years, trams have repeatedly made headlines due to news about outages or deficits: In 2021, Guangdong Zhuhai Modern Tram Line 1 was out of service; in 2022, the Yunnan Honghe Prefecture tram ticket revenue was 1.075 million yuan, and operations The cost (full cost) is about 84.09 million yuan. Excluding financial subsidies and other income, the annual deficit exceeds 83 million yuan; in 2023, Shanghai Zhangjiang Tram Line 1, which has been in operation for more than 13 years, will be suspended, and the rails and stations will also be demolished. .
In fact, as an "imported product", trams have been developed abroad for more than 100 years and have played a positive role, but they face controversy at home.
Many tram company insiders, transportation system officials, and rail experts interviewed believe that for a city, trams provide a public service and their operation cannot be for profit and cannot be based solely on economic accounts. Measure its success or failure, but relevant decisions and planning must be reasonable.
Cai Shaoqu, a member of the National Technical Committee for Urban Passenger Transport Standardization and an expert in the Public Transport Priority Expert Database of the Ministry of Transport, told China News Weekly that the construction of trams is a major matter and the decision-making of the main local leaders is crucial. Before construction, one should fully consider one's own financial resources, population, topography, future passenger flow development and other conditions. There should be more demonstration and less impulse for political performance and investment.
Why the rush to build trams?
Data released by the China Urban Rail Transit Association shows that as of December 31, 2023, there are 23 cities operating trams in mainland China, with a total length of operating lines of 580.25 kilometers. These cities include first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, provincial capitals such as Wuhan and Changchun, and ordinary prefecture-level cities such as Wenshan Prefecture, Huangshi, and Tianshui.
The reason why these cities favor trams is mainly because they are low-cost and environmentally friendly, Ma Qiang, director of the Renaissance Planning Institute of Shanghai Tongji Urban Planning and Design Institute Co., Ltd. and a professor-level senior engineer, told China News Weekly.
In 2023, Ma Qiang and his team conducted statistics on 34 tram lines in operation across the country and found that the average cost of trams per kilometer was 145 million yuan, only 1/5 of the cost of subways. "Trams can serve as a link between large and medium-volume urban rail transit systems and conventional buses," Ma Qiang said.
Low-carbon environmental protection and green ecology are also important features. According to estimates, the unit energy consumption of buses is 2.5 to 3.4 times that of trams. As hydrogen fuel technology is put into commercial use, the green and low-carbon characteristics of trams will become increasingly prominent.
In addition to the above characteristics, trams also have the characteristics of lower approval threshold and shorter construction period than subways and light rails.
In accordance with the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Further Strengthening the Planning and Construction Management of Urban Rail Transit (Guobanfa [2018] No. 52)" (hereinafter referred to as "Document No. 52") implemented in July 2018, cities that apply for subways and light rails have Higher threshold requirements. The general public finance budget revenue of a city applying for the construction of a subway should be more than 30 billion yuan, the regional GDP should be more than 300 billion yuan, and the urban permanent population should be more than 3 million; the general public finance budget revenue of a city applying for the construction of a light rail should be more than 150 More than 100 million yuan, the regional GDP is more than 150 billion yuan, and the urban permanent population is more than 1.5 million people.
According to statistics from Ma Qiang's team, according to the threshold of Document No. 52 and combined with 2022 data, only 41 cities across the country meet the conditions for applying for subway planning and construction, and another 40 cities meet the conditions for applying for light rail planning and construction.
Cai Shaoqu said that many cities do not have the above conditions, and trams have become their second choice. Lu Fang, a senior engineer at the School of Transportation at Beijing Jiaotong University, also said that the construction of trams can be approved at the local level, so some decision-makers in small and medium-sized cities want to take this shortcut.
A rail transit expert told China News Weekly that a tram located in a city in the Yangtze River Delta was simply launched in accordance with light rail construction standards, and its operating standards are even higher than that of light rail. "According to the city's conditions, it would have met the state's threshold for building light rail, but because tram approval is easy, the city would rather apply as a tram."
According to statistics from Ma Qiang's team, the development of trams in my country reached a peak from 2017 to 2018. At that time, 91 cities across the country had plans to build trams. Cai Shaoqu believes that some cities hope to attract investment through the construction of trams, while other cities hope to improve the quality of public transportation to support the city's appearance.
Political performance is also an unavoidable reason. "The subway construction cycle is generally about five years, and it often only takes one or two years from the start of construction to the opening of trams. For local politicians, building trams can see results faster." Lu Fang told China Weekly newspaper".
"In addition, it is not ruled out that some engineering and equipment manufacturers will push local trams to be launched for their own interests. Against this background, many places have launched trams one after another." Ma Qiang said.
An insider who has participated in the review of many tram projects told China News Weekly that first-tier cities and most provincial capital cities have relatively mature rail transit development and the government has rich experience in planning, investment, construction, and operation. In contrast, the leaders of some small and medium-sized cities have little experience in this area. When they negotiate with tram companies, the other party may deliberately exaggerate the compatibility and development prospects of trams with the city out of their own interests. , thereby guiding the local government to launch the tram project.
Cases show that many places adopted the PPP (Government and Social Capital Partnership) model when constructing trams.
Lu Fang said that during the project construction process, some "social capital members" in the PPP model encouraged local politicians to promote the project out of their own interests, which contributed to the final implementation of the tram. As far as he knows, much of the "social capital" in the tram project belongs to state-owned enterprises.
At present, my country has not set economic and population thresholds for tram construction at the national level. Only more than a dozen provinces have set thresholds for tram construction at the provincial level. "There is an urgent need to study and formulate national standards that adapt to the characteristics of Chinese cities, put forward clear and unified requirements for key indicators, and refine local standards under unified technical specifications," Ma Qiang said.
Shutdown, decommissioning and demolition
Nearly a hundred cities had plans to build trams. Investigation by Ma Qiang's team found that many cities' plans were shelved due to funding problems and other reasons.
On May 29, 2021, the groundbreaking ceremony of the modern tram line S1 project in Zhangye City, Gansu Province was held. The project has a total investment of 3.3 billion yuan and a total length of 36.307 kilometers. It is a rapid tourism transportation line connecting Zhangye West High-speed Railway Station and Danxia Scenic Area. However, to this day, nearly three years later, there is still no information about the project being opened to traffic.
A staff member of Zhangye Tram Investment Company told China News Weekly that the project had been suspended during the opening ceremony, and "there has been no substantial progress so far." The above-mentioned staff did not respond to rumors that the project was "stopped due to investors withdrawing funds and insufficient funds."
Delingha City, Haixi Prefecture, Qinghai Province, also built a tram with high profile. This county-level city with a permanent population of just over 70,000 people announced the launch of a new energy modern tram project in November 2016, and construction began in April of the following year.
According to Qinghai Daily, the Delingha Modern Tram Project is the first modern tram line in western my country and is currently the highest operating tram line in the world. With an investment of 710 million yuan, the project plans to build three tram lines, including T1 line, T1 branch line and T2 line, with a total length of 14.36 kilometers.
In the year when the project was launched, Delingha’s city’s public budget revenue reached 471.23 million yuan. Some local citizens complained online. They were shocked to hear that a tram was built in Delingha. They felt that spending this money would be better spent on improving bus transportation.
In October 2019, Delingha announced that the Delingha New Energy Modern Tram Demonstration Line has passed acceptance inspection and is expected to be opened to traffic in 2020.
However, until November 2, 2023, there were still local residents asking on the "Leadership Message Board" of People's Daily Online, why the Delingha tram has not been open for operation for a long time?
The State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of Delingha City responded that in September 2021, the Delingha City Modern Tram Project will be completed and commissioned. After the project was completed, Delingha Public Transport Co., Ltd. commissioned a third-party professional organization to conduct a safety assessment of the project and found that some facilities had potential safety hazards when operating in the plateau area. At present, relevant departments are organizing technical units and project construction units to rectify related issues.
"China News Weekly" called a company in Haixi Prefecture that has cooperated with the project. A staff member said that the project is still on hold and they don't know how to deal with it in the future.
It is worth noting that in the preliminary work of the project, corruption problems also occurred in which major local officials solicited bribes from the contractor.
According to the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervision Commission, Zhang Biao was appointed as the executive deputy mayor of Delingha City in May 2016, and concurrently served as the executive deputy director of the Delingha Industrial Park Management Committee early the next year.
In September 2016, as the person in charge of coordinating and arranging the preliminary work of the Delingha New Energy Tram Demonstration Line Project and the commander of the project construction and operation leading group, Zhang Biao borrowed money from a company in Beijing for the first time in the name of "borrowing" The Delingha branch asked for 360,000 yuan, and soon the money was obtained. Since then, he has "borrowed" money from the company many times. In 15 months, he demanded bribes from the company seven times totaling 14.86 million yuan.
At the beginning of 2017, Fan Moumou wanted to get a share of the new energy tram demonstration line project, but he did not obtain the construction enterprise qualification certificate. Zhang Biao greeted the Delingha Municipal Housing and Urban-Rural Development Bureau and issued it with a construction enterprise qualification certificate in violation of regulations. After that, Zhang Biao allowed Fan Moumou to successfully undertake multiple projects in Delingha City through construction first and bidding later. After that, Zhang Biao successively demanded 14.35 million yuan from Fan Moumou, and one month before he was detained, he also demanded a bribe of 600,000 yuan from Fan Moumou.
A transportation system official in a central province told China News Weekly that building a local tram will involve design, construction, vehicle purchase, supporting engineering, etc., and the chain of interests is very long. For some officials, "big projects" mean "big political achievements" and "big corruption."
In addition to some tram projects that have been suspended before operation, there are also trams that have been in operation in some cities for many years and are facing the fate of being decommissioned or even demolished.
On January 22, 2021, tram Line 1 in Zhuhai, Guangdong was suspended. This project, which has been open to traffic for three and a half years, has a total length of 8.9 kilometers and a total investment of 2.6 billion yuan. Data released by the Zhuhai Municipal Transportation Bureau shows that during the operation period, the average daily passenger flow intensity of the project was less than 400 passengers/km, which is far from the 7,700 passengers/km predicted in the feasibility study report. During this period, the fiscal subsidy allocation exceeded 170 million yuan, and the average annual cost was as high as more than 91 million yuan. However, the average annual ticket revenue was only more than 1 million yuan, which is equivalent to a daily loss of nearly 250,000 yuan.
Industry insiders analyzed that the project introduced a ground power supply system from abroad that was still in the experimental stage. After actual operation, due to system instability and supporting equipment failures, the operation was seriously affected and maintenance costs were high. In addition, the line selection does not pass through the main passenger flow corridors, and the planned second phase of the project has not been implemented. The priority system at the intersections along the lines has been closed, the departure interval has increased, and the travel speed has decreased, creating a vicious cycle of passenger flow and service levels.
The Zhuhai Municipal Transportation Bureau also believes that the line "despite continuous technical transformation, it has not yet reached the requirements of safety, maturity, reliability and economy, and has failed to fulfill the social functions that rail transit should undertake."
In January 2024, some media visited the site and said that the current Zhuhai tram infrastructure is intact and there are no signs of demolition or renovation. The media quoted people close to CRRC Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co., Ltd. as saying that the company is currently in contact with the Zhuhai transportation authorities to restart Zhuhai trams that have been out of service for three years. However, staff from the Zhuhai Municipal Transportation Bureau did not respond to this information, citing the "sensitivity of the issue."
Compared with Zhuhai Tram Line 1, Shanghai Zhangjiang Tram Line 1’s approach is more “thorough”. On June 1, 2023, Zhangjiang Tram No. 1 will be suspended. Three days later, its tracks, stations, waiting halls, etc. were demolished. At this point, this tram that had been running for 13 years has withdrawn from the stage of history.
Some media reported that the average daily passenger flow of Zhangjiang trams was 6,500 to 7,000 in the early days, but before the suspension, the number had dropped to about 1,000. Outside of morning and evening rush hours, empty trains often pass through the station.
Only two months after the Zhangjiang Tram No. 1 track was demolished, the news that the modern tram was suspended in Honghe Prefecture, Yunnan due to serious imbalances in revenue and expenditure and other factors spread hotly on the Internet. Although Honghe Prefecture Modern Tram Co., Ltd. denies suspending operations, its loss situation is surprising.
Data shows that the passenger flow of the project in 2022 will be approximately 314,000 yuan, the ticket revenue will be 1.075 million yuan, and the operating cost (full cost) will be 84.09 million yuan. This means that, without taking into account other income, especially financial subsidies, the project's annual funding gap is as high as 83 million yuan.
Data released by the Ministry of Transport shows that in December 2023, the passenger volume of trams in Honghe Prefecture was only 12,000, ranking last in the statistics of rail transit operation data in 53 cities across the country.
A local citizen of Honghe Prefecture said that Honghe Prefecture trams mainly run on the edge of the city, and ordinary citizens rarely ride on them, which is very inconvenient. He has only taken one once.
A staff member of Honghe Prefecture Rail Transit Development Investment Co., Ltd. told China News Weekly that the low passenger volume is related to the fact that the line is far away from the urban area, and the formulation of the line is related to factors such as planning and design at the time.
It is worth noting that most of the tram lines operating in many places are far from the city center. Lu Fang believes that this is because the line is built in the suburbs and is easier to demolish, so the project progress will be faster. In addition, it will become a gimmick. Using the TOD model (transportation-oriented development model), it will be easier for the government to sell suburban land and increase land fiscal revenue.
Ma Qiang believes that the important principle of tram route selection is to connect densely populated functional areas and serve citizens nearby. Moreover, in order to avoid the spatial superposition of bus passenger flow and car flow, causing greater traffic chaos and congestion, tram route selection should also avoid urban backbone road networks such as main roads and expressways.
“But in reality, due to factors such as land prices and demolition costs, some cities often choose routes where there is less resistance to demolition and where the roads are wider. In fact, it violates the planning principles. As a result, there is less passenger flow and the citizens do not buy it. The embarrassing situation also led to the impact on the original backbone road traffic during and after the construction of the tram." Ma Qiang said.
"Acclimatized" in the country?
In fact, streetcars are nearly 150 years old. In 1879, German inventor and engineer Siemens first tried to use electricity to drive rail vehicles at the Berlin Exposition. Two years later, he laid the world's first tram track in the suburbs of Berlin. Since then, trams have rapidly emerged in Europe.
In 1899, my country's earliest tram was born in Beijing, and the line connected Majiabao Railway Station and Yongdingmen. Since then, cities such as Tianjin and Shanghai have also opened trams.
The "China Tram Development Report (2020)" released by the Modern Tramway Branch of the China Urban Rail Transit Association shows that subways and trams are the mainstream systems of urban rail transit in the world, of which subways account for 47% and trams account for 42%. %, light rail accounts for 11%. In Europe, trams are the mainstream public transportation mode in many cities. For example, in Berlin, Germany, trams account for as high as 55.6% of the rail transit mileage.
Data shows that as of February 2022, 256 of the 339 cities with trams in the world are in Europe, and the operating mileage of European trams accounts for approximately 87% of the total global mileage.
Ma Qiang said that the development of trams in European cities is not only a continuation of history, but also a revival with modern significance. In the past 20 years, 108 cities around the world have added trams, with Europe leading the way with 60 new lines.
He analyzed that most cities in Europe have smaller spatial scales and more compact shapes, and megacities often have polycentric clusters and flat spatial structures. Trams with the characteristics of low-cost, medium-speed, medium- and short-distance travel services have been successfully integrated into cities of different sizes. They have become the backbone of public transportation systems in small and medium-sized cities without subway systems, and mainly serve as connections in large cities with developed subway systems. The barge auxiliary system serves local areas such as surrounding satellite cities.
Ma Qiang visited Freiburg, Germany in 2012 and was deeply impressed by the city's trams. Freiburg has a population of approximately 230,000. The city is woven into a network of tram lines with 73 stations covering the entire city. Coupled with the small size of the city, taking trams has become a habit of local citizens. Data show that in 2021, the annual passenger volume of trams in Freiburg City will be as high as 47.6 million.
Cai Shaoqu also said that countries with early tram development, such as Germany, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, have driven urban development through trams. The trams in these countries are now mostly located on the main roads in the city center, so the passenger capacity is guaranteed.
As of the end of 2021, the total length of tram operating lines in mainland my country is 503.6 kilometers, accounting for only 5.5% of the total length of urban rail transit operating lines, which is far lower than the global (42.5%) and European (75.5%) levels.
Are trams “adapted to the local conditions” in our country? Wu Weiqiang, a professor at the School of Public Administration of Zhejiang University of Technology, pointed out in an interview with the media that the key lies in the unclear positioning of medium and low-volume rail transit systems in some domestic cities. Different road network characteristics and travel needs should be matched with transportation modes of different transport capacities. Nowadays, some cities in China do not have enough research on travel and passenger flow. They blindly jump on the horse in order to follow the trend. Some use trams as a "spare tire" for the subway, some as a supplement to public transportation, and some to drive investment and investment along the lines. Development, these are all wrong. "Wrong positioning will inevitably lead to chaotic planning and unreasonable layout, which will ultimately lead to the entire urban transportation system paying the price."
Ma Qiang believes that many cities in my country have too high expectations for trams. In fact, to some extent, trams are a reduced version of light rail. They are positioned as "non-mainstream" and can only serve as auxiliary rail transportation. Representative of low-volume economical rail systems.
There are also relatively successful cases in domestic trams. Li Hongchun, an expert and deputy director of the Academic Committee of the China Urban Rail Transit Association, once mentioned the Beijing Western Suburban Line in an interview with the media.
The Xijiao Line is the first tramway in the country to be operated with multiple connections - two trains are connected together to increase passenger flow. During the "Xiangshan Red Leaf Festival" in 2019, the highest daily passenger flow reached 94,700, setting a national single The daily passenger flow is the highest recorded.
He said that in very large and megacities, trams can be used as extension lines and encrypted lines of large and medium-sized transportation systems such as subways. As an extension of Metro Line 10, the Xijiao Line starts from Bagou Station and connects tourist attractions such as Xiangshan Park, National Botanical Garden, Yuquan Country Park and the Summer Palace.
Huaian Modern Tram Line 1 also has good operating data. This tram, which was put into operation at the end of 2015, has a total length of 20.07 kilometers and a total of 23 stations. According to data released by the Ministry of Transport, in December 2023, Huai'an's tram passenger flow was 678,000, or about 22,000 passengers per day.
A person in charge of Huai'an Modern Tram Co., Ltd. told China News Weekly that the line connects four districts in Huai'an City (Qingjiangpu District, Development Zone, Ecological Cultural Tourism District and Huai'an District), alleviating the central Traffic pressure in urban areas. On October 1, 2023, the single-day passenger flow exceeded 56,000, setting a record high in a single day since the opening of operations.
The person in charge said that when planning this line, many experts were invited to conduct research, and based on Huai'an's population and urban planning, and comparing it with various transportation modes such as BRT, it was felt that trams are most suitable for Huai'an.
It is worth noting that the line in Huai'an is the first contactless tram line in China that operates in the core area of the city. In the early stages of construction, it was determined that the tram would enter the core area of the city, which became a major factor in ensuring passenger flow. one.
Most domestic trams do not have independent rights of way due to cost-saving and other factors, and share the road space with all vehicles, exacerbating the congestion on the road sections. In contrast, Huai'an trams have independent rights of way and the maximum speed in daily operation can reach about 55 kilometers per hour.
Ma Qiang told China News Weekly that if trams want to develop well in China and reduce controversy, they should pay attention to several points.
First of all, forming a network cannot be a single line. At present, when trams in many places in my country are building their first lines, in order to reduce financial pressure and demolition resistance, they choose to operate in more remote areas. Therefore, the passenger flow is not guaranteed and they operate at a loss. Later lines are also shelved and no network is formed. operation.
Secondly, the right of way is exclusive and is subject to closed management and operation. For example, Melbourne, Australia, designed a set of traffic rules that are conducive to the operation of trams, and put forward the slogan "When trams stop, you stop too" to fully guarantee the priority of trams' right-of-way.
Finally, the lines should be set within a reasonable length. Affected by investment costs and performance, trams have limited capacity and speed, and line length must be controlled. For example, Freiburg, Germany, has five lines with a total length of 36 kilometers, and each line is about 7 kilometers on average. Ma Qiang found that the length of many domestic tram lines even exceeds 20 kilometers, which not only reduces passenger comfort but also increases the load of trams. According to their calculations, the length of a single tram line in China should not exceed 15 kilometers.
"If we can't clarify the applicable scenarios of trams, it's better not to do it." Ma Qiang said.
"China News Weekly" Issue 5, 2024
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