Woo Hoo Wuhan - Optics Valley 2

 I'm A Tram, I Am?

Trams arrived in Optics Valley in April 2018. To challenge your convalescing contributor almost all the maps are in Chinese text!

Yikes!

 There would appear to be two routes ...

... L1 BLUE and L2 RED.

Or maybe L1, L2 and L5?

Or even L1, L3 and L5?

Or maybe L2, L4 and L5?

As is so often the case, it is likely that some if this misleading stuff is the consequence of rapid development on the ground.

Whatever the changing detail, the basic pattern of service is clear.

Or maybe it isn't!

The trams are very smart, operating on reserved track ...

... with some spectacular tram stops - more like tram stations.

Trams are low floor ...

... with five articulated segments.

There is some spectacular infrastructure ...

... more like London's Docklands network rather than the humble street level tram of old.

Rail Gazette International reported on the opening of the network.

A two-line light rail network in Wuhan opened on January 18. The Optics Valley tram network, also known as Guanggu tram, is focused to the Donghu New Technology Development Zone in the southeast of the city.

Construction was approved in March 2014 and test running started on December 18 2017. The two lines share a 2·5 km section. 

The 16·8 km north-south line runs from Huazhong University of Science & Technology to Fozuling, with 17 stops. 

The 19·6 km east-west line runs from Tangxunhu City Railway Station to Optics Valley Botanical Garden, serving 25 stops.

Services run between 06.30 and 22.30, and are operated with a fleet of 26 steel bodied low-floor light rail vehicles. The five-section LRVs are 34·8 m long with capacity for 360 passengers and a maximum speed of 70 km/h. The vehicles are equipped with wi-fi and LED lighting. 

The fleet uses supercapacitors, which are recharged at stops, for catenary-free operation.

fbb wondered why he didn't see any catenary but a very tiny pantograph!

Rail Gazette reports an initial frequency of "between 10 and 15 minutes" but this will surely have increased by 2026.

But can fbb fit the tram network into the Metro network?

Answer; probably. Take another look at a tram plan.

There are PINK labels for interchange with Metro Lune 2 on the BLUE tram route. (top left and lower left), implying, perhaps that the BLUE tram follows roughly the same North South trajectory as the Metro Line 2.

YELLOW labels imply that Metro Line 11 crosses from East to West with the RED tram parallel for some of its route.

Put the two together and the best fbb can manage is an incomplete squiggle from 2019 before routes were fully built.

Almost useless, but it does, at least, give us some idea of scale, of how the two networks fit together.

fbb had hoped to draw an Optics Valley combined map, but, ever fearful of Matron's stern warning to "take things easy", the old man demurred. Disobey matron at your peril.

A Puzzle Picture?

A worshipper at prayer?

What We Want Is A Monorail

Readers may remember an episode of The Simpsons!

Wuhan's version is more Wuppertal than Springfield!

Sone writers class this as a Wuhan vanity project. It it is a ludicrous way to deliver a service that could easily (and more cheaply!!) be part of the tram network.

It does intersect with Metro Line 11 and the RED tram route ...

... but without proper interchange facilities at either location. For the record, the monorail has a stop close to ...

... Guanggu 4th Road on Metro Line 11.

The RED tram and GREEN Metro line 19 appear as heavy grey lines on the Monorail plan above.

Maybe have a ride?

Vanity project?

But you can afford a vanity project if you are a non democratic dictatorship.

Incidentally, the "man at prayer" picture was actually a passenger looking through the glass floor of the passenger car.

Below, just a small intermediate stop!

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For the next few days, in a snippet on each blog, fbb will outline the possible reasons, the experiences and the possible consequences of the last week or so. The squeamish or hospital phobic should not read this diary!

EIGHT DAYS INSIDE (Sunday 31st May)

Melena comes from a Greek and Latin word meaning "black" - best not go into too much detail. What was needed was a change from black to brown! At least there were no more explosions.

The view of the medical folk was that a 'wait and see' approach was needed. The various blood statistics were beginning to stabilise, indicating no further blood loss, so maybe further internal examinations or interventions might not be necessary.

A quiet day.

fbb exhausted. No 1 Son and Mrs visited.