Multiple Malfunctions Mar Opening of BJ's New Streetcar Line
Update [Jan 3, 12:31 PM]:
Streetcar operator Beijing Public Transport finally admitted that the streetcar derailed, reported Caixin, which then go on to shift the blame elsewhere.
Caixin quoted "several sources" who say the technology of Italian parts maker Anzaldo, which is used by the streetcar, is flawed.
The streetcar was unveiled last week Saturday.
The New Year has proven to be an inauspicious beginning for Beijing's brand-new streetcar line after a streetcar on the Xijiao Line suffered multiple malfunctions. Worse still: the incident occurred only three days after its official opening.
A streetcar on the new "Western Suburban Line" broke down twice earlier this week, suspending service to its western terminus.
The streetcar first malfunctioned 20 meters in front of the line's terminal station Fragrant Hills at around 1pm, and then malfunctioned again over an hour later en route to the Beijing Botanical Gardens.
Eyewitnesses say that passengers were evacuated from the streetcar at the time of the first incident, but New Beijing News reports that the streetcar was empty. No injuries were reported.
After the malfunction, Fragrant Hills Station was cordoned off from the public as yellow-suited personnel guarded the entrance to the station behind yellow caution tape (shown above). And, as if to lessen the embarrassment caused by the incident, a whiteboard placed next to the broken down streetcar explained to assembled onlookers that the entire spectacle was a "streetcar accident exercise" that wasn't to be taken at face value (shown below).
Despite multiple Chinese news sources claiming the streetcar had "derailed," officials denied that any such thing had happened, reported Caixin.
Two cranes were brought in later that afternoon to alleviate the problem. After dusk, a dozen men were seen straining against a hoisted streetcar as if to push it back onto its tracks (shown below).
A streetcar spokesperson later told New Beijing News that they did not know what the cause of the malfunction was. "The technical department is currently investigating whether it was a problem with the track, streetcar, signals, or with the driver," said the spokesperson.
The spokesperson added that the whiteboard sign was "wrong."
However, the mishaps were not over for the ailing streetcar. Unconfirmed reports say the streetcar malfunctioned for a third time after it had been set back on its tracks by the cranes. Although the Weibo user who made the claim has since been deleted, an uploaded video shows a crowd of people running after a Xijiao-looking streetcar as the video's narrator exclaims that the streetcar "is running out of control with no brakes" (screencap below).
After a hiatus of some 70 years from the city, the Xijiao Line is Beijing's first modern streetcar line. The nine-kilometer-long hybrid streetcar line consists of six stations and connects Beijing Metro Line 10 to famous Beijing landmarks like the Old Summer Palace and Jingming Palace.
Multiple other new Beijing public transportation lines have opened in time for the New Year including the S1 Line, Beijing's first maglev subway.
Images: Weibo, New Beijing News (bj.news.163.com)
Top Stories This Week:
Beijingers Are Buzzing About: