The new tram network in Jiaxing, China, under construction and due to open on 1 July 2021, will be operated by a Keolis joint venture .
Jiaxing is one of the most densely populated cities in China’s eastern coastal province of Zhejiang. The catenary-free tram network is the province’s first tram system and will serve Jiaxing’s 4.65 million inhabitants.
Keolis’ Chinese joint venture (JV), Shanghai Keolis, was awarded the five-year contract by the public transport authority of Jiaxing, forming a new joint venture – Shenjia – to operate and maintain the city’s new tram network.
Shanghai Keolis has operated the first automated metro line in Shanghai since March 2018, the Songjiang tram network in the suburban district of Shanghai since December 2018 and the automated Shanghai Pudong International Airport since September 2019.
The trams in Jiaxing will be the first Keolis-operated public transport network in China outside of Shanghai.
Bernard Tabary, CEO International at Keolis Group, said: “We are delighted that Jiaxing Tram Co, our new PTA partner, has entrusted us with the Jiaxing tram contract.
“We’ll draw on our track record operating the tram network in Songjiang, as well as our international experience in Australia, Canada, France, Norway and the UK. Our goal is to provide an outstanding mobility option to Jiaxing residents and visitors and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution by offering a safe, reliable alternative to private cars.”
As the first tram network in Zhejiang province, the new network in Jiaxing will help create an integrated rail transport option in the Yangtze River Delta, one of China’s three great metropolitan regions.
The catenary-free network will have two lines, covering a total of 15.6km and 26 stations, including Jiaxing regional train station and Jiaxing South for high-speed rail. A total of 20 trams, made by CRRC, will run on it, with daily ridership expected to reach 50,000 passengers a day.
With the need for shared mobility on the rise, a third line will be added in 2023, bringing the total to 35.7km of line, 55 stations and 45 trams.
Shanghai Keolis will manage the new company set up to operate and maintain the new Jiaxing tram network. Plans include the recruitment of 200 new employees, including drivers, maintenance technicians and customer support staff. Shanghai Keolis will train the new employees, drawing on its experience operating the Songjiang tram network,
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