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

  • ITS asset management matters
    April 26, 2013
    Maintenance of on-road ITS kit needs to become more sophisticated; while new technologies can deliver better road maintenance. David Crawford investigates both sides of the issue "Good information is key to effective ITS asset maintenance,” says Ian Routledge of the Ian Routledge Consultancy (IRC), whose Imtrac (Information Management for TRAffic Control) system is poised for European expansion. Developed as an ‘intelligent filing cabinet’ for storing information about on-road equipment, the online database
    Read More
  • Traveller app spells big opportunities for authorities
    February 25, 2016
    The spread of a new generation of travel apps such as Citymapper will open up unprecedented opportunities for transport authorities and city planners as much as they help individual travellers minimise their travel times. These apps for mobile phones (and increasingly in-vehicle satellite navigation systems) show users the quickest route to their destination. They take into account real-time traffic congestion on potential routes, delays or otherwise on the trains, metro and mass transit systems and wheth
    Read More
  • Do buses need subsidies in congestion charging areas
    June 20, 2016
    David Crawford takes a look at the debate surrounding bus subsidies. Subsidies for public transport are a well-known and frequently-used policy tool directed at reducing the high environmental and social costs of peak-period traffic congestion. But at the end of last year the Swedish Centre for Transport Studies published a working paper entitled ‘Should buses still be subsidised in Stockholm?’ This concluded that the subsidy levels currently being applied in Stockholm could be nearly halved by setting bus
    Read More
  • Second phase of Sungai Buloh-Kajang mass rapid transit enters operation, Malaysia
    August 25, 2017
    The second phase of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Mass Rapid Transit line in Malaysia has entered operation. Mott MacDonald was responsible for the detailed design, modelling and construction supervision of three underground stations and four elevated stations on the line. The 51km line features 31 stations and will serve the 1.2 million residents of the Klang Valley area of Kuala Lumpur. In the capital, there are 9.5km of tunnels with seven underground stations and two portals linking the above ground track t
    Read More

Highlighted Content