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Chongqing Monorail

Via several news reports，China has announced the opening of an“elevated light rail line”in the city of Chongqing.Nevertheless，it’s important to note that the system referred to in these reports does not use light rail technology，but rather a proprietary monorail system provided by the Japanese firm，Hitachi.To reduce construction costs of urban rail transit systems—especially subways—China has begun encouraging“light rail”alternatives，but Chinese authorities tend to apply this term to a wide range of modal technologies，including fully grade-separated light metro systems，automated guideway systems，and monorails.

Currently Chongqing plans a network of light metros（“light rail”），monorail，and underground（heavy metro）rail lines.Each monorail trainset running on the Chongqing system has four units（“cars”），and can hold about five hundred people.The new service attracted nearly ten thousand visitors on its first day of operation.Presently，the monorail line is open only on Saturday and Sunday mornings，and tickets cost ten yuan（about US$1.20）per person.The line opened to operation is Phase I of the Chongqing“Light Rail”（monorail）Line 2，which is expected to be finished by 2005.

The first segment of the monorail system-perhaps the one just opened—extends 13.5km with 14 stations.Construction began in 1999.The line is slated to continue to Xinsanchuang，with a total length of 17.5km and 17 stations（3 of them underground）.Ultimately，designers claim the monorail line will be capable of carrying 30，000 passengers per hour at peak times.The total system cost is stated as“about 3.5 billion yuan”，or about US$420 million—calculating to about $38.5 million/mile，or about $24 million/km.

To put these costs for this unusual urban transport technology into some perspective，one can compare the new light metro for the city of Guangzhou，which uses standard rail technology on a system almost entirely underground.Construction of this system began in 1993，and the first line opened in 1997.The cost of a total system length of 41.7km is 12，700 million yuan，or about $1.525 billion-$58.9 million/mile or $36.6 million/km.Obviously，concerning this evidence，capital costs of grade-separated transit projects in China appear to be considerably lower than the costs for advanced industrial countries（e.g.，North America，Europe）.

As the case of Chongqing seems to illustrate，monorails，with their slightly narrower geometric profile and marginally lower noise level（at least at slower speeds），may have appeal for some of the crowded，narrow urban corridors of Asian cities where totally grade-separated rapid transit is desired.Nevertheless，it remains to be seen whether，over the longer term，these advantages will be outweighed by the drawbacks and limitations of monorail technology in practice.

There are some applications and functions where monorails（at least using current technology）do not seem to perform as efficiently or cost-effectively as standard-rail systems，even for entirely grade-separated systems.In the case of typical straddle-type monorails，these include，for example：

Switching—This involves moving a multi-ton beam several feet，requiring far more equipment，power，and time than moving a couple of rail points a few inches.The capital costs of monorail“switches”are definitely higher than for standard railway switches，and the power needed for beamway movement may represent a higher ongoing cost item.

Tunnelling—There are situations where underground construction is preferred，and this may be more costly for monorail vehicle designs such as Hitachi’s，which seems to have a considerably higher geometric profile than that of standard railway cars—implying greater excavation，and thus higher tunnelling costs.

Rubber-tire traction and guidance—The greater friction of rubber adhesion implies higher ongoing propulsion energy use，though this may be somewhat offset by the slightly lighter weight of monorail vehicles.On the other hand，the loss of traction under icy，snowy，or even purely wet conditions is a problem which must be tackled by special，generally more expensive，design features.The large number of total wheels per monorail trainset，for both support and guidance，may introduce extra problems of maintenance and tire replacement in longer-term experience.

Storage facilities—These need fully or partly elevated beamways throughout the storage yard，a substantially greater expense than the surface storage facilities needed by standard rail vehicles.Furthermore，the beams typically present barriers to easy movement by workers and equipment through the yard.

New Words and Expressions

proprietary［prəu′praiətəri］　adj.　manufactured and sold by a particular firm，usu.under patent　独家制造和销售的，专利的

full-scale［′ful′skeil］　adj.　not reducing in size；the same size as the object itself；complete　原尺寸的；与原物同样大小的；实比的；完全的；全面的

slate［sleit］　v.　（passive）plan that sth.will happen at a specified time　预定；定于；安排在

geometric［dʒiəu′metrik］　adj.　relating to or involving the principles of geometry　几何学的

profile［′prəufail］ n.　edge or outline of sth.seen against a background　轮廓，外形

switch［switʃ］　v.　move（a train，etc.）onto another track　将（列车等）转入另一轨道

ongoing［′ɔn'ɡəuiŋ，′ɔ：n-］　adj.　continuing to exist or progress　继续存在的；进行的

excavation［′ekskə′veiʃən］　n.　the act of digging　挖掘

adhesion［əd′hi：ʒən］　n.　being or becoming attached（to sth.）　（与某物）黏合；黏附，附着　（于某物）

propulsion［prəu′pʌlʃən］　n.　driving（sth.）forward or being driven forward　推进

offset［'ɔf′set，′ɔ：-，′ɔfset，′ɔ：-］　v.　（pp.offset）～sth.（by sth./ doing sth.）compensate for sth.；balance sth.　补偿或抵消某事物

storage［′stɔridʒ］　n.　the act of storing something　存储

facility［fə′siliti］　n.　a building or place that provides a particular service or is used for a particular industry　设施

storage yard　堆货场

Notes

1. Tunnel： an artificial underground passage built through a hill，through which track is laid allowing trains to pass.

2. Metro： the term used to denote an urban railway，often partly or wholly underground，carrying large numbers of passengers on trains at close headways.In the US synonymous with the term“subway”.The word is a diminution of the Metropolitan Railway of London，the first urban underground railway in the world.It has since been adopted by many transport authorities to give a catchy name to their system，even if not strictly correct.

3. Resistance： general term for the opposing forces because of friction，air drag，etc.that have to be overcome by a locomotive to cause a train to move. Rolling resistance or running resistance is the term for the opposing force experienced when a train is in motion. Starting resistance is the term for opposing force that has to be overcome in order to get a train moving from a standstill.

4. Grade： US term for sloping track.UK terms are gradient or“bank”.“At grade”means level track.

Exercises

Ⅰ.Answer the following questions according to the text.

1.In the sentence“China has begun encouraging ‘light rail’ alternatives，…”，what is the meaning of“light rail”here？

2.What does the ticket cost per person？

3.Are monorails more expensive to build than subways？

4.When did the construction of Chongqing monorail begin？

5.What is the total length of the line when it is slated to continue to Xinsanchuang？

6.How many stations does the line have？How many of them are underground？

7.How many passengers will the monorail line be capable of carrying per hour at peak times？

8.How much does the total system cost？

9.Which one cost more per mile，Chongqing monorail or Guangzhou light metro？

10.Are capital costs of grade-separated transit projects in China higher than the costs for advanced industrial countries？

11.What are the advantages of monorail？

12.What are the drawbacks and limitations of monorail technology？

Ⅱ.Choose the best answer to each question.

1.Currently，the monorail line is open only on___________mornings.

A.Monday and Tuesday　　B.Friday and Saturdal.

C.Wednesday and Thurday　　D.Saturday and Sunday

2.The line is slated to continue to Xinsanchuang，with a total length of 17.5km and___________stations.

A.17　　B.20　　C.18　　D.19

3.Capital costs of grade-separated transit projects in China appear to be substantially___________ than the costs for advanced industrial countries.

A.higher　　B.lower　　C.larger　　D.smaller

4.The greater friction of rubber adhesion implies higher ongoing___________energy use.

A.proposition　　B.propulsion　　C.proportion　　D.proprietor

5.The large number of total wheels per monorail trainset may introduce extra problems of maintenance and tire replacement in___________-term experience.

A.longer　　B.shorter　　C.farther　　D.middle

Ⅲ.Translate the following sentences into Chinese.

1.Chinese news reports indicate that the line opened to operation is Phase 1 of the Chongqing“Light Rail”（monorail）Line 2，which is expected to be finished by 2005.

2.Chongqing plans a network of light metros（“light rail”），monorail，and underground（heavy metro）rail lines.

3.Designers claim the monorail line will be capable of carrying 30，000 passengers per hour at peak times.

4.The capital costs of monorail“switches”are definitely higher than for standard railway switches.

5.The total system cost is stated as“about 3.5 billion yuan”，or about US$420 million.

Ⅳ.Summary writing.

In no more than 80 words give an account of this passage.Use your own words as far as possible. kN+KwXIEBhCHfDvSWTBNUKylUosp1UtkI1zGXq9IdXmMcjLC5lvjBLXXN5SS1Rh7