All Aboard: Qianmen Dangdangche Rides Again

From the first day of the new year, the two trams (dangdangche) that sat idle at the top of the newly renovated Qianmen Dajie since the Olympics, finally began to make their slow way down the new commercial boulevard. The tram is actually making a return to the pedestrian street 42 years after services were stopped. The two new 84-seat trams, “Qianmen No.1” and “Qianmen No.2”, crawl between the south and north end of the Qianmen street at between 3-9km/h - perhaps allowing for tourists to walk alongside and take photos of family and friends who are, gasp, actually on the tram!? It takes the trams about 10 minutes to cover the 845m journey, past largely empty stores, from one end of the street to the other and tourists are expected to hand over 20 kuai for the ride.

Ticket Price:
At RMB 20, the ticket price is far more expensive than people expected. Tickets for child (free for under 1.2m), the disabled, soldier, senior citizens (RMB 10) were announced this past weekend. Despite the high price, more than 3,000 tickets were sold at two temporary ticket offices at both end of Qianmen street on the first day. One resident had waited 7 hours for the honor of being the person to buy the first two tickets. Over the 3-day New Year holiday around 7,000 tickets were sold. Before the final rate was published 3 days before the official launch, rumors had been circulating for months that the ticket price would be either a little higher than RMB 1, no less than RMB 4, or even free.

Operating Hours:
The tram currently runs from 9am to 10pm everyday. The operation hours will be extended during the May Day Holidays.

History:
The name “Dangdang” comes from the sound that the bell hanging in front of the tram makes. The tram was known by this cute nickname since 1924, when one began running between Qianmen and Xizhimen.

Technology:
The RMB 5.8 million worth of new “dangdangche” is based on the original model that was imported from France. The present French-style model features a supercapacitor which allows the tram gets at least two-round trips from one 3-min charge at the terminal.

Driver:
Even the drivers of the dangdangche were strictly selected with only 6 people qualified to navigate the tram. Among them, 2 drivers are new college graduates who had been through 1 month of training before obtaining the license.

Timeline:

Feb 2008: Workers began laying the track along the renovated Qianmen shopping

Aug 7, 2008: Two models named “Qianmen No.1”and “Qianmen No.2”respectively made their first appearance when the new Qianmen shopping street reopened to visitors after renovation.

Nov 2008: the Dandangche made it's first test run. Sanlunche began to take advantage of the absence of the tram.
Jan 1, 2008: Tram opens to the public

Links and Sources
WSJ: Dang, Dang, Dang Went the Chinese Trolley
WSJ: Builder Soho China Stumbles in Beijing
China.com.cn: 北京:前门铛铛车新年启程 首日售票三千张(图)
The Beijing News: 铛铛车4元票价被否
The Beijing News: 铛铛车试跑 动力将改进
Beijing Evening News: 前门铛铛车请来大学生司机
QQ: 京城前门大街铛铛车首次试运行 4元票价被否
Beijing Youth Daily:
前门当当车开铺轨道
People.com.cn: 前门当当车元旦开通 将重现上世纪老北京风情
Qianlong: 前门大街即将运营 铛铛车票价元旦见分晓(图)
The Beijing Times: 前门铛铛车票价1元多
Qianlong: 7000人次元旦期间争相乘坐铛铛车
Legal Times: 当当车迟到 黑车“代班”
The Beijinger: Refashioning History
The Beijinger: New Qianmen to be completed by May 1?
The Beijinger: Openings: Qianmen and Gong Wangfu

Comments

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Vocathe: The tram runs up and down the length of Qianmen Dajie - a recently refashioned commercial street that lies just to the south of Tian'anmen Square, right in the center of the city. You line up to buy a ticket before getting on the tram. You can take subway line 2 to get there - get off at the Qianmen stop.

Hi, anyone knows how to take it and the places it will travel around?
really appreciate..

thanks,

20rmb? Wow, that is expensive.