Fully-automated Yanfang Line set for test run in June

China’s first home-grown fully-automated subway line Yanfang Line will undergo a test run in June after the construction of the route was completed on May 25. The line is expected to be put in operation at the end of 2017.

Yanfang Line, from Suzhuang to Yanhua, has nine stations and a total length of 16.6 kilometers and can run at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour at the initial stage with a carrying capacity of 1,262 passengers.

The train’s every aspect — arrivals and departures, door opening and closing, cleaning, and more — will be entirely automated.

The automatic train operation system, built on the basis technologies of computing, communications, control and system integration, is a new generation of the urban rail network.

The train is driverless and the handling of emergency is fully automated without any on-train staff. Meanwhile, the staff of the train operation center will watch the running of trains, ensuring the safety of passengers.