Beijing goes driverless with latest addition to its subway network
Metro system in Chinese capital now spans 608km and is set to grow by a further 50pc over next two years
Beijing on Saturday opened three new subway lines, including one that will be served entirely by driverless trains, state media reported.
The addition of 33km of lines takes the Chinese capital’s total metro network to 608km and cements its position as one of the world’s longest. At the end of last year, just 14km separated Shanghai and Beijing at the top of the network length charts, far ahead of London and New York.
The most notable of the new additions is the Yanfang line, which will be fully automatic, Xinhua reported. The 14km line, which runs through the city’s southwestern suburbs, has nine stations and no drivers, it said, adding that all of the equipment and technology it uses are home-grown.
With support from a remote control centre, the driverless system will run on preset programmes based on 41 scenarios, Wang Wei, an engineering official on the project, was quoted as saying.
“For example, if a door can’t close because there are too many passengers trying to board a train, the remote control centre can send an alert to a member of staff at the station.”