Several cities in China had tram systems during the 20th century. By the end of the century, only Dalian and Changchun remained extant. However the 21st century has seen a resurgence in tram transport systems as China attempts to combat with urban traffic congestion and pollution.
List of historical tram systems Beijing had the first tram system in China. It opened in 1899 and connected Majiapu Railway Station to the south gate of the city. Trams were phased out 1958 to 1959. Fushun, Liaoning had a tram system circa 1902, operated by the Manchurian Railway Company with 26 trams. Tianjin city, had a tram system that opened in 1906. By 1933 it had 9 miles of track and operated 116 tramcars. It was closed by 1972. The Changchun tramway system started operations in 1942. By the 1950s the system covered with 98 cars. The system continues to operate today. In Shanghai there were three tram systems - two operated by the colonial powers of Britain and France and one by a Chinese company. The British system opened in 1908 and was the largest of the three. It had 7 lines and ran 216 tramcars. The British system merged with Chinese system in 1952. The French system opened the same year and its 3 lines ran 60 tramcars. Like the British it merged into the Chinese system in 1953. The Chinese system opened in 1913 and operated 52 tramcars over 4 lines of some in length. The last tram services ended in 1975. In Shenyang, Liaoning, a Japanese owned electric tramway opened in 1925 and replaced an earlier horse-drawn tram system that dated from around 1907. By 1937 it had expanded to cover of track and ran 21 tramcars. It was finally closed in 1973.
Harbin, Heilongjiang had a system from 1927 with 8 lines and about 40 trams. The system closed in 1987. The city of Anshan, Liaoning, had a single tram line from 1956 till the late 1990s and the track was dug up in 2006. Dalian, Liaoning opened its first tram line on September 25, 1909. It was operated by South Manchuria Railway. By 1945, the system had 11 lines. Today 2 lines remain in operation covering . The system is in the process up being updated with a mixture of old tram cars and new modern low floor cars in operation.
New tram systems Tianjin and Shanghai have recently introduced rubber tired trams for their TEDA Modern Guided Rail Tram and Zhangjiang Tram respectively, but both of these networks are closed now. However Shanghai has also reintroduced steel wheel tram system in Songjiang area.
In 2011, Shenyang city decided to construct a new tram network to complement its new metro network. The first three lines of the new system were opened on August 15, 2013. A year later, Nanjing opened the new Hexi trams just before the 2014 Youth Olympics. Since them new tram systems opened in a number of cities in China such as Qingdao, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Zhuhai, Wuhan, Huai'an and Beijing.
Ridership According to an expert affiliated with the Ministry of Transport, some of the newly constructed tram networks were built without considering the suitability of this mode of transportation well, leading to low-passenger numbers due to the tram lines serving less-densely populated outskirts, slow operating speeds and with unrecoverable operating costs. Some tram systems are built primarily to promote tourism, rather than filling a transportation niche and have been called white elephant projects, such as the Delingha Tram. Other tram systems have been more successful, such as the Huai'an Tram, Beijing's Xijiao line and Haizhu Tram.
Light rail/Tram systems Legend - In operation. - Under test run. - Out of service
Lines Line (not services) System Locale Length Stations Opened Xijiao line Beijing Subway* Beijing 6 2017-12-30 Yizhuang T1 line Beijing Subway* Beijing 14 2020-12-31 54 Changchun Tram Changchun 16 (10 shared) 1941-11-01 55 Changchun Tram Changchun 19 (10 shared) 1941-11-01 Line 3 Changchun Subway* Changchun 32 2002-10-30 Line 2 Chengdu Metro* Chengdu 35 2018-12-26 201 Dalian Tram Dalian 18 1909-??-?? 202 Dalian Tram Dalian 19 1909-??-?? Line 1 Dujiangyan M-TR Dujiangyan 17 2024-05-15 Line 2 Dujiangyan M-TR Dujiangyan 13 2024-05-15 Gaoming Tram (TGM1) Foshan Gaoming Tram Foshan 10 2019-12-30 Nanhai Tram Line 1 (TNH1) Foshan Nanhai Tram Foshan 15 2021-08-18 Haizhu Tram (THZ1) Guangzhou Modern Tram Guangzhou 11 2014-12-31 Huangpu Tram Line 1 Guangzhou Modern Tram Guangzhou 19 2020-07-01 5XX, 6XX, 7XX MTR Hong Kong 68 1988-09-18 Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong Tramways Hong Kong 120 1904-07-30 Line 1 Honghe Modern Tram Mengzi 15 2020-10-01 Line 1 Huai'an Modern Tram Huai'an 23 2015-12-28 Line 1 Huangshi Tram Huangshi 30 2021-12-30 Line 1 Jiaxing Tram Jiaxing 12 2021-06-25 Hexi line Nanjing Hexi Modern Tram Nanjing 13 2014-08-01 Qilin line Nanjing Qilin Modern Tram Nanjing 13 2017-10-31 Chengyang line Qingdao Modern Tram Qingdao 12 2016-03-05 Line T1 Sanya Modern Tram Sanya 15 2019-01-01 Line T1 Shanghai Songjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 2019-08-10 Line T2 Shanghai Songjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 20 2018-12-26 Line 1 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 27 (17 shared) 2013-08-31 Line 2 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 18 (12 shared) 2013-08-31 Line 3 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 18 (5 shared) 2015-06-29 Line 4 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 2019-01-05 Line 5 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 25 2013-08-31 Line 6 Shenyang Hunnan Modern Tram Shenyang 2019-01-05 Longhua line Shenzhen Modern Tram Shenzhen 20 2017-10-28 Line 1 Suzhou New District Modern Tram Suzhou 15 2014-10-26 Line 2 Suzhou New District Modern Tram Suzhou 13 2018-08-31 Line 1 Tianshui Tram Tianshui 12 2020-05-01 Line 4 Wenshan Tram Qiubei 10 2021-05-15 Line T1 Wuhan Auto-city Modern Tram Wuhan 22 2017-07-28 Line T1 Wuhan Optics Valley Modern Tram Wuhan 17 (3 shared) 2018-04-01 Line T2 Wuhan Optics Valley Modern Tram Wuhan 25 (3 shared) 2018-04-01 Line 1 Wuyi Tram Wuyi New Area (Nanping) 6 2022-01-01 Line 1 Zhuhai Modern Tram Zhuhai 14 2017-06-13 Line 1 Shanghai Zhangjiang Modern Tram Shanghai 15 2010-01-01 TEDA line TEDA Modern Tram Tianjin 14 2007-05-10
Under construction Baoshan Baoshan Tram T1 Chongqing Tongliang Guided Rail Tram Delingha Delingha Modern Tram Guangzhou Huangpu Tram Line 2, Line 5 Guiyang Line T2 Jiaxing Tram T2 Lijiang Lijiang Tram Line 1 Turpan Turpan Tram Xi'an Xi'an High-tech Zone Tram (西安高新区有轨电车) Zhangye Zhangye Danxia Tram
Suspended
Lanzhou New Area planned a 5-line modern tram network but construction was halted in 2017 due to newly imposed restraints on borrowing.
Planned Nanjing Nanjing Jiangxinzhou Tram (南京江心洲有轨电车) Tianjin (Xiqing Tram T2) Zhuzhou Tram ()
Lhasa, Haikou, Quanzhou, Zhengzhou, Kunshan, Baotou, Korla, Anshun, Hangzhou, Changzhou, Taizhou and Huangshan are planning tram networks for the future.
See also Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit in China Urban rail transit in China Rail transport in China Passenger rail transport in China Hong Kong Tramways
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