China unveils trackless train

Chinese railcar-maker CRRC has unveiled a trackless train which uses rubber wheels on a plastic core and runs on a virtual track in a bid to speed up public transportation.
June 5, 2017 Read time: 1 min

Chinese railcar-maker CRRC has unveiled a trackless train which uses rubber wheels on a plastic core and runs on a virtual track in a bid to speed up public transportation.

The Autonomous Rail Transit (ART) bus-rail combo rapid transit system was demonstrated in Zhuzhou, Hunan province and is said to be non-polluting, according to People’s Daily Online.

CRRC began designing the system in 2013. The first car is 31 metres long, with a maximum passenger load of 307 people or 48 tons. Its top speed is 70 kilometres per hour and it can travel 25 kilometres after 10 minutes of charging.

According to CRRC, ART is likely to be around one-fifth of the cost of an ordinary subway, which cost about 400-700 million yuan (£45.6 - £79 million) per kilometre in China.

The world’s first train will be launched on a 6.5 kilometre line in Zhuzhouand, once completed, will be able to dock with the city’s mid-low speed maglev train.

Related Content

  • March 4, 2025
    Manchester extends Metrolink tap and go to trams and buses
    UK city will soon have integrated payment in same way as capital London
    Read More
  • April 19, 2016
    Spreading the word about Bike Share in the US
    Smart bike share technology and funding policies help bridge the transit gap through the final mile as Andrew Bardin Williams explains. The sharing economy is coming to Portland this summer. BikeTown, the city’s new bike share program sponsored by Nike, will be launched in mid-July with 1,000 bicycles distributed across 100 stations throughout the city. Originally funded by a $2 million federal grant, the program has been boosted by a $10 million sponsorship deal with Nike ensures funding for the next five
    Read More
  • September 19, 2017
    New services and equipment helps cities tackle air quality issues
    With poor urban air quality shortening lives and fines being imposed for breaching pollution limits, authorities are seeking ways to clean up their cities. Poor air quality is topping the agenda for city authorities across the globe. In the UK, for example, a report from the Royal Colleges of Physicians and of Paediatrics and Child Health, concluded that poor outdoor air quality shortens the lives of around 40,000 people a year – principally by undermining the health of people with heart and/or lung prob
    Read More
  • June 12, 2015
    Close shave for Brazilian project
    Signing the order to equip a new control room just 45 days before the city hosts a major sporting event is challenging - but some deadlines just cannot be moved. There is nothing like a deadline to concentrate minds and effort as Mitsubishi and the Brazilian city of Belo Horizonte discovered in the run-up to the 2014 World Cup. Although municipal authorities had been considering a new command centre for years, it was the hosting of the World Cup last summer that provided the final impetus.
    Read More

Highlighted Content