TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram

TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram (Chinese: 天津开发区导轨电车; pinyin: Tiānjīn Kāifāqū Dǎoguǐ Diànchē) was a Translohr Light Rail line in Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA). It was a modern, high-speed rubber-tyred tram line, the first in both China and Asia. The line was considered as part of the Tianjin Metro system. It was run by Tianjin Binhai Mass Transit Development Co., Ltd, which has been a subsidiary of Tianjin Rail Transit Group Corporation since 2017.

Tianjin once had a conventional steel-wheeled tramway network. The system gradually expanded and reached its peak in 1933 with 116 tramcars. Later however, like most cities around the world, the tram service was abandoned in 1972 due to its perceived inefficiency.

Trams returned in Tianjin in 2006. Commercial service started in 2007. Unlike standard tramway, the Translohr rubber-tired LRT system was adopted.

History

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. It is run by Tianjin Binhai Mass Transit Development Co., Ltd, which has been a subsidiary of Tianjin Rail Transit Group Corporation since 2017. The total cost of the project is estimated at 500 million yuan, of which 190 million yuan are used in engineering test-line (excluding vehicles). The Tram line quickly became popular amongst locals.

The new system was chosen for TEDA because 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.

As of June 2023, the TEDA Guided Tram has suspended operations for scheduled maintenance.

On July 19, 2023, the transportation and construction management department of TEDA announced a project bidding announcement for the demolition of the power supply network of the line and the restoration of the road surface, which means that the line will be demolished.

Timeline

1972 – Abandonment of original tram network as construction on the city's subway system began
2005 – Construction of rubber-tired LRT started
2006 – First test run
2007 – Opened to public on May 10, 2007

Practical Info

Total length – 8 km
Opened – 10 May 2007
Operating hours – 5:30 A.M. to 12 Midnight
Frequency – 3 minutes

Fleet

The LRVs for the line were manufactured by Translohr of France. All LRVs were low-floor, fully air-conditioned, and could run at high speed. Each LRV had three sections (Translohr STE 3).

Stations (south to north)

The line runs on unreserved tracks, mostly in the middle of the road. It crosses many numerical avenues of TEDA and the college district. All stations have island platforms.