The First Tramway in Europe / 欧洲第一有轨车
Few people know that the first tramway in Europe was built in Birkenhead.
很少有人知道欧洲的第一条有轨车是在比肯黑德建造的。
Birkenhead is a town in the north-west of England.
比肯黑德是英格兰西北部的一座城市。
This story begins with an American man called George Francis Train.
这个故事开始于一个名叫乔治·弗朗西斯·特雷恩的美国人。
He was a transport pioneer in America who made his fortune through shipping.
他是美国的一位运输先驱，通过运输致富。
His business ventures also included building tram services in major American cities such as New Orleans, New York and Philadelphia.
他的商业投资还包括在美国主要城市如新奥尔良、纽约和费城建设有轨车服务。
Mr. Train was very keen to set up tram services in other countries.
特雷恩先生非常渴望在其他国家建立有轨车服务。
Because of his shipping connections with Liverpool he approached the local authorities with a proposal to build a tram service in Liverpool.
由于他与利物浦的航运联系，他向当地政府提出了在利物浦建立有轨车服务的建议。
However, Mr. Train was not able to convince Liverpool’s leaders that his idea was a viable project.
然而，特雷恩先生无法说服利物浦的领导者，他的想法是一个可行的项目。
So, Mr. Train approached Birkenhead’s leaders as this town is just opposite Liverpool on the estuary of the River Mersey.
因此，特雷恩先生联系了比肯黑德的领导，因为这个城镇正对面是利物浦，位于默西河的河口。
Mr. Train also liked that the streets of Birkenhead are laid out in a grid pattern like many American cities.
特雷恩先生还喜欢比肯黑德的街道呈网格状布局，像许多美国城市一样。
Birkenhead already had a train service and ran horsedrawn passenger carriage service.
比肯黑德已经有了火车服务，并且提供马车载客服务。
Birkenhead however did not have a transport system which ran on rails through the streets.
然而，伯肯黑德并没有一种在街道上运行的轨道交通系统。
Mr. Train managed to convince the local authorities to allow him to run a 6 month trial in Birkenhead.
特雷恩先生说服当地当局允许他在比肯黑德进行为期六个月的试验。
As part of this deal Mr. Train agreed to be liable for any damage caused by his trams.
作为这项交易的一部分，特雷恩先生同意对他的有轨车造成的任何损坏负责。
The tramway parts were shipped from America and were quickly installed.
有轨车零件从美国运来，迅速安装完成。
The initial route was 2 kilometres long and only took 6 weeks to install.
最初的路线长达2公里，安装只用了6周。
The carriages were approximately 7 metres long and could carry 48 passengers.
车厢长约7米，可容纳48名乘客。
By the 30thAugust 1860 everything was ready.
到1860年8月30日，一切都准备好了。
Mr. Train laid on a lavish banquet to mark the opening of the tramway.
特雷恩先生举办了一场豪华的宴会以庆祝有轨车的开通。
He invited over 1200 notable people including Queen Victoria and the Pope but few of these people attended.
他邀请了超过1200位知名人士，包括维多利亚女王和教皇，但这些人中很少有人出席。
Nevertheless, a large crowd turned up to witness the opening ceremony.
尽管如此，还是有大量人群来见证开幕式。
On the first day of operations almost 5000 passengers used the tram service and commented positively on the smoothness of the ride.
在运营的第一天，近5000名乘客使用了有轨车服务，并对乘车的顺畅度给予了积极的评价。
Although the tramway caused some controversy by operating on a Sunday, the people of Birkenhead loved the new service.
尽管有轨车在星期天运营引起了一些争议，但比肯黑德的人们都很喜欢这项新服务。
Encouraged by his success in Birkenhead, Mr. Train tried to replicate the service in London.
受到在比肯黑德取得成功的鼓舞，特雷恩先生试图在伦敦复制这一服务。
Unfortunately the tram rails in London stood to high above the road and so caused problems for other vehicles.
不幸的是，伦敦的有轨车轨道高地矗立在路面上，给其他车辆带来了问题。
Mr. Train was subsequently arrested and charged with damaging the streets.
特雷恩先生随后被逮捕，并被指控破坏街道。
As a result of this incident, he decided to abandoned his ambitions for a tramway service in London.
由于这一事件，他决定放弃他在伦敦建设有轨车服务的雄心。
However, the U.K. Parliament saw the benefits of such a transport system and it was not long before a new tramway system was successfully installed on the streets of London.
然而，英国议会看到了这种交通系统的好处，没过多久，一条新的有轨车系统就成功地在伦敦街道安装了。
The success of the new tramway system in London then led to similar systems being installed all across Europe.
伦敦新有轨车系统的成功促使类似系统在全欧洲范围内安装。
In Birkenhead, the tramway system continued to be popular with the public.
在比肯黑德，有轨车系统继续受到公众的欢迎。
In August 1901, the system was electrified which made the service even more efficient and reliable.
1901年8月，系统电气化后，服务变得更加高效和可靠。
However, with the increasing popularity of motor vehicles, passenger numbers declined and the tramway service was finally closed in 1937.
然而，随着机动车辆的日益普及，乘客人数减少，有轨车服务最终于1937年关闭。