Transportation is one of the important indicators for measuring a region's development level and quality of life. A convenient and efficient comprehensive transportation system is of great significance for enhancing urban competitiveness and improving the happiness index of residents.
In 2002, the first expressway passing through Huzhou, the Nanjing-Hangzhou Expressway, opened to traffic; in 2013, the first high-speed railway passing through Huzhou, the Nanjing-Hangzhou High-Speed Railway, opened to traffic; in the future, the under-construction Shangqiu-Hefei-Hangzhou Railway, the planned Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou Railway, and the Huzhou-Hangzhou West Railway will advance side by side…… So when will the urban rail transit that Huzhou residents have been eagerly awaiting arrive? In 2017, the permanent population of Huzhou's urban area was 1.666 million, the city's GDP was 246.7 billion yuan, and local fiscal revenue was 23.7 billion yuan. Huzhou has met the conditions for constructing rail transit in the central city. According to statistics, in 2017 the number of private cars in the urban area reached 330,000, with an average annual growth rate of 22% over the past five years. The share of private cars and electric bicycles in peak-hour commuting was as high as 80%. It is predicted that by 2035, the one-way passenger flow along the Nanxun-Huzhou-Changxing axis will reach 350,000-450,000 person-trips per day. Road facility construction and surface bus organization alone cannot fundamentally reverse the worsening trend of urban traffic congestion. To accelerate integration into regional integrated development, enhance the central city of Huzhou's overall coordination capacity over the entire municipal area, and lead the adjustment of urban spatial structure and the integrated development of the South Taihu area, it is imperative for Huzhou to plan and construct urban rail transit.
Which rail transit system will Huzhou adopt? Which lines are planned? When will construction begin? Recently, it was learned from the Huzhou Municipal Transport Bureau that Huzhou's urban rail transit already has a preliminary plan, and the public is welcome to put forward valuable opinions and suggestions.
Considering light rail as the rail transit system for Huzhou's central city
At present, the backbone public transport systems commonly used in Chinese cities mainly include metro, light rail, tram, BRT, and trolleybus. Huzhou's central city rail transit is initially considering the light rail system. Light rail is a medium-capacity rapid urban rail transit mode operating on fully enclosed lines. The lines are usually located on the ground or on elevated bridges, and can also extend into underground structures.
Total rail transit network scale of about 140-170 kilometers
According to the population and land area determined in the "Huzhou City Master Plan (2017-2035)" (under preparation), the total scale of Huzhou's rail transit network in 2035 is initially planned to be about 140-170 kilometers, with per capita rail mileage of about 0.6 kilometers per 10,000 people. The per capita rail mileage will be at a medium level among cities in the Yangtze River Delta. Four lines planned, with a total length of about 145 kilometers
Based on Huzhou's urban spatial structure and land layout, the overall structural layout of the rail transit network plan is initially planned as a "cross-shaped skeleton with interconnected sectors," consisting of 4 lines with a total length of about 145 kilometers and 6 urban light rail transfer stations. In the near term, from 2020 to 2025, Huzhou will build 42.5 kilometers of light rail. The first phase is about 22.5 kilometers long in total, and construction will strive to start in 2021.