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Modern Tram and Public Transport Integration in Chinese Cities: a Case Study of Suzhou

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Modern Tram and Public Transport Integration in Chinese Cities: a Case Study of Suzhou Modern Tram and Public Transport Integration in Chinese Cities: A case study of Suzhou Discussion2 Paper1 2017 • 21 Chia-Lin Chen Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China Modern Tram and Public Transport Integration in Chinese Cities A case study of Suzhou Discussion Paper No. 2017-21 Prepared for the Roundtable on Integrated and Sustainable Urban Transport (24-25 April 2017, Tokyo) Chia-Lin Chen Department of Urban Planning and Design, Xian Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, China July 2017 The International Transport Forum The International Transport Forum is an intergovernmental organisation with 59 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers. ITF is the only global body that covers all transport modes. The ITF is politically autonomous and administratively integrated with the OECD. The ITF works for transport policies that improve peoples’ lives. Our mission is to foster a deeper understanding of the role of transport in economic growth, environmental sustainability and social inclusion and to raise the public profile of transport policy. The ITF organises global dialogue for better transport. We act as a platform for discussion and pre- negotiation of policy issues across all transport modes. We analyse trends, share knowledge and promote exchange among transport decision-makers and civil society. The ITF’s Annual Summit is the world’s largest gathering of transport ministers and the leading global platform for dialogue on transport policy. The Members of the Forum are: Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China (People’s Republic of), Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Republic of Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. International Transport Forum 2 rue André Pascal F-75775 Paris Cedex 16 [email protected] www.itf-oecd.org ITF Discussion Papers ITF Discussion Papers make economic research, commissioned or carried out in-house at ITF, available to researchers and practitioners. They describe preliminary results or research in progress by the author(s) and are published to stimulate discussion on a broad range of issues on which the ITF works. Any findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Transport Forum or the OECD. Neither the OECD, ITF nor the authors guarantee the accuracy of any data or other information contained in this publication and accept no responsibility whatsoever for any consequence of their use. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. Comments on Discussion Papers are welcome. Chia-Lin Chen – Modern Tram and Public Transit Integration in Chinese Cities- A Case Study of Suzhou Acknowledgements The author is grateful to several contributors for this report. First of all, Mr Jianglian Han, Deputy Manager of Suzhou National High-tech District (SND) tram company and Mr Jun Fan, Director of Transport Unit in Suzhou Planning and Design Research Institute Co. Ltd. kindly spared time for interview and provided valuable insights into the decision-making process, key concerns of the modern tram developmet in SND, and transport planning and management in Suzhou. Secondly, the questionnaire survey would not have been possible without research assistance from Master students Gao Du and Huahui Ai as well as four undergraduate students, namely Kexiang Huang, Ran Bi, Siyi Lin, Yifeng Xu. Thirdly, thanks go to my research assitants, Huahui Ai and Yuyi Zhao for their help in data collection and maps drawn for this report. Lastly but not least, constructive discussions in Tokyo Roundtable and valuable comments given by Daniel Veryard at the ITF secretariat have been useful for this revised discussion paper. ITF Discussion Paper 2017-21— © OECD/ITF 2017 3 Chia-Lin Chen – Modern Tram and Public Transit Integration in Chinese Cities - A Case Study of Suzhou Abstract This paper explores the role of modern trams in Chinese cities and identifies issues and challenges of integrating modern trams with other public transport modes. The Suzhou National High-tech District (SND) Tram is chosen as a representative case for study. The findings show that, due to the strict national policy and approval procedures, trams are often planned and constructed as a good alternative to metro systems. Instead of practically addressing transport congestion, with a “development-driven” and “control and management” ideology, the current approach emphasises new development and avoids potential confrontation and social unrest in dense urban areas. As a result, despite massive investment in tram and other public transport modes, public transport mobility is not competititve against car mobility. Lessons learnt from the Suzhou tram case include prioritising public transport, well articulating public transport systems at multiple levels, combining strategic planning and supportive policies, enabling open competition for tram operation, and exercising leadership for collective goverance. 4 ITF Discussion Paper 2017-21 — © OECD/ITF 2017 Chia-Lin Chen – Modern Tram and Public Transit Integration in Chinese Cities - A Case Study of Suzhou Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 7 Policies and mechanisms for developing urban rail in China .............................................................. 7 Definition of urban rail systems in China ............................................................................................... 7 National policy for urban rail development ............................................................................................ 8 Rapid urbanisation and development of urban rail and trams .......................................................... 12 Urban rail development in China .......................................................................................................... 13 Tram development in China .................................................................................................................. 14 A case study of Suzhou ........................................................................................................................... 16 A brief introduction to Suzhou and Suzhou National High-Tech District ............................................ 16 Urban rail development in Suzhou and SND ........................................................................................ 17 Network planning and motivations for the SND tram .......................................................................... 22 Use of the SND tram ............................................................................................................................. 23 Current approaches to integration and its impacts ................................................................................ 25 Conclusions and future implications .................................................................................................... 33 References ............................................................................................................................................... 35 Notes ........................................................................................................................................................ 36 Figures Figure 1. National policy framework and guidelines for urban rail development in China ........................ 9 Figure 2. Planning integration and rail construction plan procedures in China ....................................... 10 Figure 3. Extent of urban rail public transport networks in operation in Chinese cities , 2005 and 2015. 13 Figure 4. Urban rail passenget traffic, 2015 .............................................................................................. 14 Figure 5. The location of SND within Suzhou .......................................................................................... 17 Figure 6. Key development zones in SND ................................................................................................ 17 Figure 7. Composition of motor vehicles in Suzhou, 1988-2015 .............................................................. 18 Figure 8. Suzhou long-term rail network plan (2007-2020) ...................................................................... 19 Figure 9. Passenger traffic by transport modes in Suzhou urban districts, 2011-15 ................................. 20 Figure 10. External transport links in SND ............................................................................................... 21 Figure 11. The SND tram network plan 2030 ..........................................................................................
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