Tram line T2 began operations in Songjiang District at 9am yesterday, attracting curious residents keen to experience the new mode of transport on its first day.

Despite the drizzle, many people were lined up at Songjiang University Town Station to take their first trip.

Yu Yuexian took her 5-year-old grandson to the station. She told Shanghai Daily that she had missed the trial run several days ago and the little boy was “so looking forward” to finally taking a ride.

“The tram is smoother and steadier than the bus,” Yu said after riding four stops. “The seat is also more spacious. It doesn’t feel narrow at all, even when the boy is sitting on my knee.”

A good number of the first passengers were people like Yu, taking their kids for an adventurous ride, but some said the signs at the stops were confusing.

“I can’t figure out which direction it is going,” said Pan Shundi, an elderly local. “They all look the same to me.”

Some people worried about safety issues at the stops.

“Passengers can get onto the tracks from the platforms — there is no barrier,” Yu noted. “This could be dangerous, especially for kids.”

The tram makes 20 stops from Canghua Road to Zhongchen Road, covering 13.9 kilometers. A one-way trip takes 46 minutes. Each tram has 56 seats and can carry up to 300 passengers. One leaves the terminus every 10 to 15 minutes.

Passengers traveling more than 10 kilometers pay 3 yuan (44 US cents), otherwise the price is 2 yuan. The tram only accepts public transportation cards or tickets bought from machines at the stop. Mobile payments will follow soon.

Every tram stop is close to a bus stop, and passengers using public transportation cards get a 1 yuan deduction when transferring from one to another within an hour. Passengers can also transfer to Metro Line 9 at Songjiang University Town Station.

More tram lines will open next year, the information office of Songjiang District said.

There are still issues to be resolved. There is only one lane, so if a tramcar breaks down, the operation of all others is disrupted.

“We have shuttle bus plans for emergency situations,” said Dai Bin, manager of the tram operator. “If a tram malfunctions, buses will pick up the passengers.”

Improper behavior by other vehicles can also affect the tramcar. During its debut run, one had to brake hard for an e-bike. Many passengers on board stumbled. As the junction has no traffic light, the passengers worried that it could happen again.

Meanwhile, some roads have exclusive tram lanes which enable the trams to operate at 60 kilometers per hour. But on the roads where they have to share a lane with cars, speed is limited.

Some car owners are worried that the trams will slow down the traffic on the street, but on all the roads which have a tram lane, an extra car lane has been added.

The line that started on December 26 is just a section of the T2 line.

Construction of tram systems takes a long time, but Songjiang is planning to have seven tram lines by 2020.