Reporters learned from the Chengyang Transport Bureau on January 30 that the tram demonstration line extension project will begin at the end of 2018, connecting to Chengyang Railway Station. According to the plan, Chengyang will build 7 tram lines in the future.
　　Demonstration line extension project to begin at the end of 2018
　　The tram demonstration line has a total length of 8.77 kilometers, with 12 stations and 7 trains, and the vehicle depot is located in Qianwangtuan Community at the eastern end of Chunyang Road in Chengyang District, connecting key areas such as Chengyang Wholesale Market, shopping malls, universities, Chengyang central area, and the Chunyang Road modern service industry cluster. Each tram has a capacity of more than 300 passengers and a maximum operating speed of 70 kilometers per hour.
　　In September 2017, Li Hongbing, head of Chengyang District, responded to many netizens' questions about when the tram demonstration line would be extended to Chengyang Railway Station. Li Hongbing said that the project to extend the tram demonstration line west to the railway station had been included in Chengyang District's key reserve construction projects for 2017-2019. According to the latest news obtained by reporters from the transport bureau, the project is planned to begin at the end of 2018, extending from Chengyang Wholesale Market to Chengyang Railway Station.
　　A staff member of the Chengyang District Transport Bureau said that after the tram demonstration line extension project is completed, it will greatly facilitate travel for out-of-town passengers and play a good role in transport connections. In the future, the tram demonstration line can also connect with Qingdao Metro Line 7 at a station near the Agricultural University, achieving interconnection, facilitating transfers for citizens, and improving travel efficiency.
　　The tram network will have 7 lines
　　According to data provided by the Chengyang District Transport Bureau, since trial operation began on March 5, 2016, as of the end of December 2017, the Chengyang tram demonstration line had safely carried a cumulative 1.28 million passengers and traveled more than 500,000 kilometers, including 520,000 passengers in 2016 and 760,000 in 2017, an increase of 46 percent.
　　To build a medium- and low-capacity rail transit network in Chengyang District and create a public transport system in which medium- and low-capacity rail transit and regular buses are interwoven into a network, and relying on the metro network, the Chengyang District Transport Bureau completed the compilation of the "Chengyang District Tram Network Plan." According to the plan, Chengyang District will build 7 tram lines in the future, with a total scale of 105.87 kilometers, 130 stations, 3 vehicle depots, and a total investment of about 12.258 billion yuan. Among them, 3 lines (4 sections) are planned for near-term construction, with a total scale of 28.5 kilometers and a total investment of about 3.738 billion yuan, which will connect transport hubs such as bus stations and railway stations.
　　After the tram network is completed, it will form a rail transit system with the metro as the backbone network and trams as a supplement, build fast travel corridors between the central urban area and the east, west, south, and north regions, fully leverage the safety, punctuality, speed, and scale effects of rail transit, optimize the public transport structure, meet different passenger flow needs, adapt to and guide urban development, and create an ecological public transport system that showcases Chengyang District's distinctive features.