Shanghai has placed a €72 million order with Alstom’s Chinese joint venture for 30 new Citadis trams – becoming the first Chinese city to adopt the technology.
Shanghai Alstom Transport Co (SATCO), a joint venture between Alstom and Shanghai Rail Traffic Equipment Development Co, will supply light rail vehicles for the first two lines of a planned six-line system in the Songjiang district of Shanghai.
The trams will be built in China by SATCO while Alstom sites in France and Italy will supply the traction systems, bogies, the Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) and provide technical support.
Songjiang plans to construct six tram lines. The first 30 trams will operate on lines T1 and T2. The lines are set to open by 2017.
By 2020, Shanghai is hoping to have a light rail network stretching 800 kilometres.
Amended: Shanghai is planning a light rail network totalling 800 kilometres in length, of which Songjiang's system will make up 90 kilometres rather than the figure previously stated.
After reading the Shanghai tram article, it is clear that the six tram lines totaling 800 kilometers would average 83 miles in length. These may be the longest tram lines in the world! WOW! As a rail and LRT fan, I am impressed!