Section 1: The panacea for urban traffic congestion

Urban rail transit, as old as railways, rises and falls with the rise and expansion of cities. Before its emergence, long-distance, high-capacity rail transport was mainstream but didn't ease urban traffic. Cities relied on walking, horses, or carts. In 19th-century London and Paris, streets were filled with horses and pedestrians, amid suffocating pollution.

As cities expanded, streets once clear were jammed with horses, causing pollution, noise, and congestion. The advent of cars worsened traffic, prolonging travel times. This forced visionary individuals to address congestion, as we face today in big cities. In 1863, London saw the first urban rail transit, a steam-powered underground railway from Paddington to Farrington, 6.4km long. This marked a new era, showing transportation could transcend space and mode, as technology allowed.

Today, China's metropolises face what Western cities did a century ago: unlimited car growth leading to endless congestion and pollution. Cars pollute much more than horses; Beijing was shrouded in smog for a month in March 2013, partly due to car emissions. Thus, the need for faster, cleaner transit is urgent. Urban rail transit is ideal: punctual, pollution-free, high-capacity, low-energy, and interference-free. Subways transfer passengers quickly underground; light rail operates on viaducts, enhancing cityscapes. Modern trams replace buses on fixed routes. Monorails complement subways and light rail, solving the last-mile problem. Suburban railways connect metropolises with satellite cities. Autonomous, computer-controlled guideway transit systems zip between cities.

Urban rail transit thrives on city needs.