Metro Line 14’s first driverless train has arrived in Shenzhen, laying the foundation for the test of the fully automated line scheduled to open at the end of 2022.
At a ceremony Friday at Ang’e Depot in Kengzi, Longgang District, Shenzhen Metro Group and CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. Ltd., the manufacturer, signed an agreement over research on Chinese Metro train standards, marking Shenzhen Metro’s entry into the intelligence and standardization era.
Shenzhen Metro Group purchased 44 trains for Line 14, 30 of which will complete tests before the line is put into service.
The driverless train technology will be first piloted on Metro Line 20, a rapid transit rail line connecting Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport Terminal 4 with Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center before the end of this year. This technology will expand to other lines including Lines 12, 13 and 14.
By 2022, Shenzhen’s Metro rail network will extend to 568 kilometers in total.
The 50-kilometer Line 14 will be equipped with a GOA4 transport system, the world’s highest driverless train operation system standard. Trains on the Metro line will travel at a maximum speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
Unlike the current trains running in the Shenzhen Metro system, Line 14 trains are equipped with a hybrid of side-facing bench seats and front- and rear-facing row seats, phone charging outlets and noise reduction materials on the floor and walls, which Shenzhen Metro Group thinks could provide a better experience for long-distance travelers.
The train is also equipped with a health check system that can monitor, diagnose, assess, analyze and send alarms over Line 14’s operation systems. Likewise, the train can conduct automated safety checks, including voluntarily and involuntarily detecting objects, collision prevention and derailment checks.
Fully automated Metro lines offer many advantages over their human-controlled counterparts. Automated Metro lines can reduce required manpower by 30-70 percent, achieve higher frequency, increase passenger space and improve reliability by over 50 percent, according to the Metro company.