The city government is planning to restore the city's downtown tram car system, with lines running through the Bund and Yuyuan Garden, for both transport and sightseeing purposes, a senior engineer said yesterday.
In a preliminary plan, the government will build two tram car tracks with a combined distance of six kilometers through Yangpu, Hongkou and Huangpu districts.
"Trams will add to the downtown landscaping and will be convenient for locals trying to reach major commercial and scenic areas," Xu Daofang, a senior engineer from the Shanghai Transportation Engineering Society, who leads the feasibility study for the local tram car scheme, told Shanghai Daily yesterday.
One planned line will start from Luxun Park in Hongkou District and run along Sichuan Road to Yuyuan Garden while the other line will start from Yangshupu Road, close to the side of the Huangpu River and run to the Bund.
"We chose the routes because there are no rail station near these downtown business spots," said Xu. The only way for visitors to reach these places at the moment is by bus or taxi.
While Xu said the project has yet to be approved by the city government, construction would only take a year and at a far lower cost than building a subway.
"One of the problems the city may encounter is finding an auto company to manufacture the tram car carriages," he said. "Most have stopped building tram cars because they are not widely used in modern cities."
"Hopefully, the tram cars can ease the downtown traffic by offering a greater diversity in transportation," said Shen Rende, a senior engineer from the Shanghai Urban Planning Administrative Bureau.
But some locals are worried the new tramcar track will increase traffic congestion and be a danger for crossing cyclists.
"If the tracks are wider than the wheels of a bike, cyclists could fall off," said He Yuehai who cycles to work.
Shanghai's first tram line was opened in March 1908. Managed by British merchants, the line ran for six kilometers from Jing'an Temple to the Bund.