Download
Shanghai is likely to introduce the country's first suspended monorail train by 2017 to improve the city's worsening traffic congestion and pollution levels.
Suburban Jiading district, as well as Changning district, which houses Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport, are among the many prospective bidders to clinch the first deal with Air Train International, the manufacturer of the floating train system, according to its chairman Chen Changgui.
An official surnamed Liu with the information office of Changning district confirmed the company is in talks with the Hongqiao central business district in west Shanghai.
Many local governments are considering having the project installed, in a bid to contain growing traffic jams and bridge remote neighborhoods with the nearest public transportation facilities, Chen said during the first China (Shanghai) International Technology Fair, which kicked off on Wednesday.
Apart from Shanghai, authorities from Tianjin and Luoyang, Henan province, are also serious about the plan to mitigate transportation tie-ups.
"We are poised to have our first installation completed by 2017, and it's most likely to happen in Shanghai," Chen said.
The floating trains, known as H-Bahn in German, are driverless passenger cars which are monitored from a control center. A movement inspector oversees the vehicle's position and status at all times.
The first track connecting two campuses of Dortmund University in Germany has carried 5,000 passengers on a daily basis. Not a single accident has occurred since its maiden tour in 1984, according to the company website.
The system can now determine the train's location with much higher precision - within 3 centimeters - so that trains may run on a higher frequency and follow each other more closely.
Air Train International uses signaling control technology developed by German conglomerate Siemens. But the Chinese firm has the capability to manufacture 95 percent of key components.
Train speed is up to 50 km/h, and it can handle 15,000 passengers per hour.
With an ideal operating distance of less than 15 kilometers, Chen said the system is best positioned to blanket densely populated office buildings, where demands to reach the nearest subway stations are huge.
The new facility edges out alternative means of transportation in cost efficiency, Chen noted. It takes about 150 million yuan ($24.4 million) to build 1 kilometer of suspended monorail, which is about one quarter of the cost needed to build the same length of subway.
It takes just one week to construct 3 kilometers of the line. What's more, the technology is powered by electricity and a full-speed train is similar in loudness to a human voice.
Wang Mengshu, deputy chief engineer of the China Railway Tunnel Group and a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said the "floating train" serves as a perfect supplement to public transportation, notably in a city's busy area.
"It should be used as a part of the development of urban rail systems, in particular it should be used in combination with different modes of transport systems, say, big neighborhoods, airports and tourism attractions."
Wang said the system is usually about 9 meters above the road, detachable and with high transport capacity, which can carry about 10,000 people in one hour, at a speed of 30 to 50 km/h.
The German imported technology is considered safe, and has been used in cities in Germany and Japan, he added.
Feng Xingyun, a strong proponent of the system and a political adviser, said that the train works in all weather and does not disturb people's lives.
"In addition, it does not require much room and construction can be finished quickly. Most important, its routes can be adjusted to meet the need of city development.
Questions:
1. What year is Shanghai likely to introduce its first mono-rail system?
2. What is the German name of the floating trains?
3. How fast can the floating trains travel?
Answers:
1. 2017.
2. H-Bahn.
3. 50 kilometers per hour.
About the broadcaster:
Lance Crayon is a videographer and editor with China Daily. Since living in Beijing he has worked for China Radio International (CRI) and Global Times. Before moving to China he worked in the film industry in Los Angeles as a talent agent and producer. He has a B.A. in English from the University of Texas at Arlington.
“幼升小”审核 东城要求八成新生来自划片
周靖国:幼升小制度须体现一座城市的宽容
如何让孩子快乐地适应小学生活
从幼儿园到小学的主要问题
孩子学英语家长切不可急功近利
成都:幼儿园教师5年培训不少于360学时
北京推广形体干预课 写字握笔太低是最大问题
小学就近入学 “拼房子”愈发猛烈
培养孩子从小学习第二种语言
北京教改后联盟校首次招生 择校生明显减少
石家庄中小学招生新政 就近入学比例不低于90%
学前教育财政投入5年间增近5倍
2014北京幼升小 名校取消学区房年限
专家解读:城乡和谐教育均衡发展需要快落实
北京幼升小证件材料审核严格 家长没吃透政策
义务教育阶段体育课时普涨 小学初中增加体育课
幼儿园“小学化” 高起点伤了谁?
2014年石景山区幼升小可入学通知查询
家长须知的十大衔接知识
史家胡同小学首次引入“传媒课”
2014年东城区幼升小入学顺序
幼小衔接误区:入学准备≠提前学习知识
北京幼升小落户有年限 热门校要出示结婚证
妈妈与幼儿一起读书的16条法则
怎样教孩子查英语字典?
幼儿园大班VS学前 家长改怎么选?
家长必看的十大幼小衔接知识
幼小衔接家长有哪些错误认识?
彩和坊小学:用国学教育帮孩子们找到文化的根
北京“幼升小”周末现场审核 划片通知已贴出
不限 |
英语教案 |
英语课件 |
英语试题 |
不限 |
不限 |
上册 |
下册 |
不限 |