CHINA: The initial phase of the first tram line in Sanya on Hainan Island opened for revenue service on January 1.
Services are operating on the northern section of the line from Sanya Railway Station to Jiefang Lu, serving six stops. When complete, the line will be 8·4 km long, serving 15 stops between the railway station and Jiangang Lu.
Construction started in July 2016 and cost 1·4bn yuan. CRRC Changchun has supplied a fleet of trams capable of catenary-free operation. The vehicles have a maximum speed of 70 km/h but are limited to 50 km/h in the urban area. The five-section trams have a capacity of 362 passengers including 60 seated.
A network of four tram lines is planned for Sanya, which would total 60 route-km.
