Skip to main content

Skytrains being planned for major cities in China

City planners in China are conducting feasibility studies and initial planning to develop skytrain, an elevated transportation system, in order to ease deteriorating traffic congestion in the urban areas of major cities. The benefits of skytrain include shorter construction period, quiet operation and cheaper construction cost – about one tenth of the cost of metro systems. In addition, since the skytrain runs on elevated viaducts and stations are built above ground, there will be less disruption to the sur
March 27, 2012 Read time: 1 min
City planners in China are conducting feasibility studies and initial planning to develop skytrain, an elevated transportation system, in order to ease deteriorating traffic congestion in the urban areas of major cities. The benefits of skytrain include shorter construction period, quiet operation and cheaper construction cost – about one tenth of the cost of metro systems. In addition, since the skytrain runs on elevated viaducts and stations are built above ground, there will be less disruption to the surface landscape. The operation and maintenance costs will be also much lower than a metro system.

The system is being studied and proposed in more than seven cities in China, including Shanghai, Tianjin and Wenzhou.

Related Content

  • Mayor’s plans for London’s road network step up a gear
    February 10, 2015
    The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has revealed further details of plans to deliver his bold vision for the future of London’s road network, aimed at reducing congestion, creating new public spaces and encouraging more people to walk and cycle. The Mayor unveiled proposals to redesign a number of key road networks in the capital in order to unlock growth and make the capital a more attractive place to live and work.
  • B&C Transit modernises Miami-Dade Metrorail’s control systems
    June 1, 2016
    Jason Gomez and Daniel Mondesir describe how passenger disruption was minimised during a major upgrading of the control room of Miami-Dade’s Metrorail. In 1984 when the Miami-Dade Department of Transportation and Public Works’ (DTPW) Metrorail system was launched in southern Florida, trains ran 18km along a single line and stopped at 10 stations.
  • Chile plans feasibility studies to extend three metro lines
    March 14, 2014
    Chile's transport ministry plans to launch feasibility studies to extend three metro lines in the capital, Santiago. The plans include expanding the north-south line 2 south towards El Bosque and San Bernardo neighbourhoods and line 3, currently under construction, north to Quilicura, according to transport minister Andrés Gómez-Lobo. The other proposal is to expand further south line 4, which connects Santiago's eastern neighbourhood of Providencia with the town of Puente Alto to the southeast of the
  • Demand management schemes, is there a better way?
    January 31, 2012
    The European Commission is placing too much emphasis on the use of demand management, according to the FIA. Here, Wil Botman, Director-General of the FIA's European Bureau, explains why. Towards the end of last year, the European Bureau of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) released a statement which criticised the European Commission's (EC's) approach to urban traffic congestion following the adoption of the Action Plan on Urban Mobility. In particular, the FIA voiced concerns over what it