Carbon fiber subway trains complete trial run

By Jiang Wei | (chinadaily.com.cn )| Updated : 2019-06-20

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The exterior look of the carbon fiber subway train, June 18, 2019. [Photo/people.com.cn]

A carbon fiber subway train of six carriages successfully completed its trial run in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, on Wednesday.

Dubbed the "future subway train", it uses advanced technologies and new materials, according to its developer CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co.

The carriage body, bogie frame, driver's cabin and equipment compartment are made of carbon fiber composite materials, which make the train 13 percent lighter than traditional subway train, said Ding Sansan, deputy chief engineer of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Silicon carbide inverter and permanent magnet synchronous motor are used in the hauling system, which save energy by 15 percent, said Ding.

The windows in the train are touch panels. Passengers can watch videos and news by touching the windows.

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A man touches the window on the carbon fiber subway train, June 13, 2019. [Photo/people.com.cn]

The train is automatic driven. With intelligent monitoring and warning system, it can realize on-route fault early warning and initiate repair work when needed, compared with planned repair work on traditional subway trains.

The train can run at a speed of up to 140 kilometers per hour, faster than traditional subway train. What's more, it runs more stably because it uses full active suspension technology for the first time.

Thanks to the new sound-proof materials, the noise within carriages is five decibel lower than traditional carriages.

The train is also adaptable to bad operational environment. It can run smoothly in high or low temperatures, on high altitude, small-radius curves and big ramps.

The train is expected to undergo track test in July.

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The interior look of the carbon fiber subway train, July 21, 2018. [Photo/people.com.cn]