Sanya's first tramcar to start trial operation

Government officials and journalists try out Sanya's first tramcar. [Photo/Sanya Daily WeChat account]

The first tramcar in Sanya, Hainan province, is going through testing and debugging and is expected to begin trial operation by the end of this year.

With a total investment of about 1.48 billion yuan ($221.3 million), the tramcar runs 8.37 km in about 30 minutes. Its maximum design speed is 70 km/h but its speed limit in urban areas is 20 km/h.

Fourteen pairs of tramcars will run a south-north route, traversing 15 stations. Starting at the Jiangang Road in downtown, they will go northward to Jinjiling Road, the Sanya River, and Yuxiu Road, and end at the Sanya Railway Station.

According to Xu Huichang, secretary of the Party committee of Sanya Rail Transit Co, the tramcar is of the most advanced vehicle type, and will greatly enhance passenger comfort through new technologies. Driven by pure electric energy, it has no exhaust gas emission and is environmentally friendly. It will run on a fixed route with a groove profile, and will therefore not affect traffic of general vehicles. To beautify the environment and reduce noise, green areas will be planted between the tracks.

Greenery is arranged between tracks, which will not only beautify the environment but also reduce noise. [Photo/Sanya Daily WeChat account]

Xu said that the tramcar is a middle capacity public transport mode between a subway and a bus. It can hold 362 passengers at a time and its capacity per hour is two times higher than that of a bus. It also can realize quick charges within 30 seconds for energy storage at pit stops.

Sanya plans to build four tramcar routes to satisfy the demands of life services and sightseeing tours, as well as passenger collection and distribution at Sanya Phoenix International Airport, Sanya Railway Station and local cruise terminals. By 2020, all the major parts of the four routes will be completed at a gross length of 60.6 km, which will help ease Sanya's traffic congestion and upgrade urban rail traffic system and modernization levels. 

Tramcar platforms are decorated with oceanic features. [Photo/Sanya Daily WeChat account]