Panda-shaped 'Sky Train' Rolls into Operation in Chengdu

2016/11/23

Chen Xiaoli

Perhaps this is the cutest train you've ever seen!

China has launched its first suspension railway with black-and-white carriages that look like panda.

The new-energy "sky train" was put into trial operation in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, on November 21. It hung from a white rail above the ground and was tested along a 1.4km route.

Zhai Wanming, chief engineer of the project said the sky train in China is powered by lithium batteries rather than the high-voltage electricity used in Germany and Japan, thus making China the first battery-powered suspension railway in the world.

It is estimated that the construction cost per kilometer of the sky train is just one-fifth to one-eighth of a normal subway's building cost.

Zhai said the cutting-edge energy technology saved them a lot of money. The project also had a short construction period, he added.

With a blue interior, the new train can carry a maximum of 230 passengers and travel at speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Journalists who had the chance to test the train reported that the ride was smooth with moderate shaking throughout the journey.

The train will complete 10,000 kilometers of test run to test its stability.

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Panda-shaped 'Sky Train' Rolls into Operation in Chengdu

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