Your City, My City丨中德城市公共交通使用攻略

• As a country with powerful influence in the EU, Germany is a significant driving force behind China-Europe friendship and cooperation. Germans, known for their professional attitude and meticulousness, have made “Made in Germany” a world standard. 

• The public transportation systems in German cities are the best that Europe has to offer. 

• The first episode of Your City, My City focuses on this country. So, get ready for the Hitchhiker's Guide to Public Transportation on German and Chinese Cities from Chengdu Plus and a well-known German vlogger!

• Located in western China, Chengdu is a city of 21 million people, a quarter of Germany's entire population. This makes Chengdu a very typical representative of the Chinese public transportation system.

• Dusseldorf, the seventh-largest city in Germany, has a permanent population of about 648,000. The German headquarters of the Chinese company Huawei is also here.

• There is a six-hour of time difference between Chengdu and Dusseldorf. Might the urban transportation systems in China and Germany also be that different?

GERMANY

DUSSELDORF

• When the topic of public transportation is brought up, the first thing that comes to mind is buses. In Germany, the most popular form of public transportation is the bus. 

• Buses in Germany are generally divided into the categories of city buses and intercity buses, according to their different scopes and operating distances. 

• City buses only operate within the city limits, while intercity buses are centered in large and medium-sized cities and radiate to nearby towns and villages.

CHINA

CHENGDU

• China is one of the countries with the highest density of public transport in the world. There are not only 1,146 bus lines in Chengdu, with a daily passenger volume of more than 80 million, but buses here are also becoming more intelligent and environmentally friendly.

• Because of the exclusive right-of-way and traffic-light-free bus lane, Chengdu's BRT buses can always ensure that the 450,000 passengers arrive at their destinations on time every day.

• In July 2022, ART, a type of smart trackless train, started to operate on a trial basis in Chengdu. This autonomous train is full of technological innovation and is one of the smartest vehicles in the world.

• Have you ever drunk the liquid coming out of the exhaust pipe of a bus? This might sound crazy; however, it’s becoming a reality as hydrogen buses are being put on the road in Chengdu. These buses are harmless to the environment and embody the future of urban transportation.

GERMANY

DUSSELDORF

• Most of the taxis in Germany are Mercedes Benz. Currently, Germans mainly use gasoline cars, and it’s rare to see new energy vehicles. Most people don’t often take taxis, so there are only few on the street that can easily be hailed.

CHINA

CHENGDU

• In China, taxis with blue plates are powered by fuel, and those with green license plates are electric vehicles. The number of buses, taxis, and private cars in China with green license plates is continuously increasing. 

• The production and sales of new energy vehicles in China have been the first in the world for eight consecutive years, making it the world’s biggest market for new energy vehicles.

GERMANY

DUSSELDORF

• The metro is the face of the green public transport system of a city. 

• The German subway system was first opened in 1902, giving it an impressive 120-year history. 

• Interestingly, you can take your bike or your pet to the metros in Germany. But for bikes, you must pay an additional €4.7.

CHINA

CHENGDU

• Currently, 49 cities in China have working subways. Chengdu’s metro system covers 558 km, making it the fourth longest in the country. With an average daily passenger traffic of almost 5 million, the subway is undoubtedly the preferred transportation method for the people of Chengdu. 

• Only 13 years after its first subway opened in 2010, Chengdu already has 13 lines running through the city. 

• Chengdu Metro Line 18 integrates the urban express line and the airport line, which is the first metro line in the world to achieve a speed of 140 kilometers per hour. 

• Chengdu Metro Line 9 is the smartest. The driverless program allows passengers to see the futuristic view unfold before their eyes.

GERMANY

GERMANY

• Germany’s high-speed railway ranks third in the world with a total length of 3,038 km. 

• ICE is the fastest and highest class of train in Germany. It was officially put into operation in 1991, covering about 180 ICE stations in Germany and 6 neighboring countries.

CHINA

CHINA

• The high-speed railway system has developed incredibly quickly in China, a country with a massive population. It covers 42,000 kilometers, which accounts for more than 70% of the world's high-speed railway total mileage. China has built the most developed high-speed railway network in the world and is a window through which the world can see China.

• In western China, the two megacities of Chengdu and Chongqing are linked by the construction and acceleration of high-speed rail lines.

• By the end of 2020, the speed of the Chengdu-Chongqing high-speed railway had been increased to 350 km per hour, and the shortest railway travel time between the two places was further reduced from 78 minutes to 62 minutes. This enables the stations of the Chengdu-Chongqing railway, separated by hundreds of kilometers, to communicate easily and efficiently. 

• City public transportation is like a mirror, reflecting the development of our city.

• Although we are in different countries and cities, and we may take different methods of transportation to different destinations on an ordinary trip, we can all feel the endless convenience and beauty brought by the rapid change of the world in our life. 

• Your City, My City. Our cities are so similar, yet so different. We share the same planet and common dreams, and with communication across mountains and seas, we feel the same beauty and happiness in this closely connected world. 

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