Launch of the first tram line in the province of Zhejiang

On 25 June 2021, Shanghai Keolis’ joint venture, Shenjia , welcomed the first passengers onboard the first tram line in the city of Jiaxing, in the coastal province of Zhejiang south of Shanghai.
The launch followed the award of a 5-year operations and maintenance contract by the Jiaxing Public Transport Authority on 15 October 2020. This is the first tram network in the province of Zhejiang, which is home to 57 million people, who will now be able to enjoy safe, smart and sustainable travel in the city of Jiaxing, thanks to this new mobility solution.

With its 11 stations, the city’s first 11-kilometre line carries more than 20,000 passengers per day and brings the Jiaxing South high-speed railway station to within 35 minutes of the city centre. The mobility offer will be further developed by the end of 2021 with the opening of a second line, forming a network covering 15.6 kilometres in total with 26 stations. A third line is planned for 2023, creating a 35.7-kilometre network with 55 stations.

Between April and June 2021, Shanghai Keolis conducted a successful 3-month trial phase in order to prepare the commissioning of the network and achieve operational excellence right from the start.

In Jiaxing, Shanghai Keolis fulfilled its commitment to developing local talent by recruiting 200 employees, including drivers, maintenance technicians and customer service staff. They were then trained on the Songjiang tram network, operated by Shanghai Keolis in Shanghai, in order to prepare for the start-up of the Jiaxing network.