Modern Tram and Public Transit Integration in Chinese Cities A Case Study of Suzhou Discussion Paper No. 2017-xx 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 Disclaimer: This paper has been submitted by the author for discussion at an ITF Roundtable. Content and format have not been reviewed or edited by ITF and are the sole responsibility of the author. The paper is made available as a courtesy to Roundtable participants to foster discussion and scientific exchange. A revised version will be published in the ITF Discussion Papers series after the Roundtable. The International Transport Forum The International Transport Forum is an intergovernmental organisation with 57 member countries. It acts as a think tank for transport policy and organises the Annual Summit of transport ministers. 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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. 2 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 Year 2 students, namely Kexiang Huang, Ran Bi, Siyi Lin, Yifeng Xu. Lastly but not least, thanks go to my research assitants, Huahui Ai and Yuyi Zhao for their help in data collection /analyses and maps drawn for this report. ITF Discussion Paper 2017-XX — © OECD/ITF 2017 3 Abstract This paper explores the role of modern tram in Chinese cities and identifies issues and challenges of integrating modern tram with other public transit towards people-oriented cities. 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, tram is planned and constructed as a good alternative for metro systems. Instead of addressing transport congesion, with a “development-driven” and “management-focused” perspective, the current practice is trying to guide new development and avoid confrontation and social unrest in dense urban areas. As a result, three key challenges are identified, namely the uncompetitive public tranport provision, the uncertain role of tram in a long term, and a lack of synergy and fragmented governance. Lessons learnts for future implications include prioritising public transport, well articulating public transport systems at multiple levels, combining strategic planning and supportive policies, enabling tram operation for open competition, and securing leadership for collective goverance. 4 Chia-Lin Chen – Modern Tram and Public Transit Integration in Chinese Cities - A Case Study of Suzhou Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ 3 Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. 4 Background: Rapid Urbanisation and Rail Transit Development in Chinese Cities since the 1990s 7 Policy and Mechanism of Urban Rail Transit Development in China ............................................. 10 Definition of urban rail transit systems in China ..................................................................... 10 National policy for urban rail transit development .................................................................. 10 Threshold .............................................................................................................................. 11 Policy framework ................................................................................................................. 11 The approval procedure of urban rail transit construction plans in China ........................... 14 Tram Development in China ............................................................................................................ 15 A Case Study of Suzhou ................................................................................................................... 18 A brief introduction to Suzhou and Suzhou National High-Tech District (SND) ................... 18 Urban rail transit development in Suzhou and SND ................................................................ 19 Motivation of the SND tram .................................................................................................... 23 Current approaches to integration and its impacts ................................................................... 25 Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 25 Key features of tramway planning and design ..................................................................... 25 Service operation .................................................................................................................. 29 Tram operation/management and public transit governance ................................................ 30 User experience .................................................................................................................... 32 Key challenges ......................................................................................................................... 34 Conclusions and Future Implications ............................................................................................... 34 References ........................................................................................................................................ 36 Notes ................................................................................................................................................. 38 Figures Figure1. Urban rail transit in operation in China, 2015 ................................................................................................ 9 Figure 2 Changes in rail transit passenger traffic, 2014 and 2015................................................................................ 9 Figure 3 Key national policy for urban rail transit development in China ................................................................. 12 Figure 4 Rail transit planning and design stages in China .......................................................................................... 13 Figure 5 Approval procedure of urban rail transit construction