bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sponsorType

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Mandy Zuo

Construction of China’s “sky train” – its first public suspension railway line – can go ahead after tests have been successfully completed on a test track, mainland media reports.
The lithium-battery-powered suspension railway line in Chengdu, southwestern Sichuan province, began trial operations in September, the news website Thepaper.cn reported.
The train, dubbed the “sky train” by media, will be able to travel at speeds of up to about 60km/h, which is similar to the speed of normal subway trains.
China starts trial run of first home-designed and built maglev rail line
It was innovative because it was powered by a lithium battery rather than the high-voltage electricity used by existing suspension railways in Germany and Japan, the project’s chief engineer was quoted as saying in the report.
The black and white train, which will hang from a rail eight metres above ground, was tested along a 1.4km route at Zhongtang’s test site, which is not open to the public
Each suspension railway carriage, which will have blue seating and handles, is capable of carrying up to 230 people.
Wireless rail is on track as China seeks to develop world-first power system
Journalists travelling on the suspension train’s test track found the ride was smooth, with only moderate shaking during the 1.4km journey, the report said.
Zhongtang Skytrain Group, a newly registered company that has developed the suspension railway, said Chengdu was planning two different routes for its suspension trains.


One route will travel to the city’s tourist attractions, with construction work starting next year.
The other line, stretching 20km, will run from Shuangliu Airport to the centre of Shuangliu county.
Zhai Wanming, the engineer, said the train was safe to use and occupied little space.
Its construction costs per kilometre were between one-eighth and one-fifth of the cost of building a normal subway railway.
Such a building project could also be completed within one year, Zhai said.
German engineers built a similar 13km suspension monorail in the beginning of last century. The line is still in operation running 12 metres above the Wupper River, a tributary of the River Rhine. Another two-line suspension railway – one stretching 3.2km and the other 12km – is located in Chiba prefecture in Japan. Both railways are powered by electricity.


Why China is still struggling to ‘invest in people’

China’s box office up 22% in 2025 to US$7.4 billion, led by record-breaking Ne Zha 2

China’s service sector shines as holidaymakers embrace pet travel and bespoke adventures

Key lessons from China’s ascent over the past 25 years

China society

China’s first ‘sky train’ suspension railway on track after tests successfully completed

Tests on the suspension train running along a 1,400-metre-long track in Chengdu began in September. Photo: Xinhua

(161121) -- CHENGDU, Nov. 21, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Guests and press workers get off from a train suspended from a railway line in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 21, 2016. After two months of tests, China's first suspension railway line met all designed requirements and it is ready for more systematic operations.    (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) (zhs)

(161121) -- CHENGDU, Nov. 21, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Locals watch a train suspended from a railway line running in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 21, 2016. After two months of tests, China's first suspension railway line met all designed requirements and it is ready for more systematic operations.    (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) (zhs)

(161121) -- CHENGDU, Nov. 21, 2016 (Xinhua) -- A train suspended from a railway line runs in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Nov. 21, 2016. After two months of tests, China's first suspension railway line met all designed requirements and it is ready for more systematic operations.    (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing) (zhs)

News

China

People & Culture