China To Get Driverless Train in '17

                China first driverless subway line in the capital city Beijing is expected to start operations at the end of 2017. Operations on the Yanfang line will be fully automatic, including train departures, opening and closing of its doors and cleaning. The trains will only use domestic technology. China’s CRRC Corporation Limited, the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipments, started developing the fully automatic subway system in 2010 and has mastered the core technologies. It completed the construction of the subway trains in 2015.

                Beijing subway line 3, 12, 17, 19 and the new airport line will operate with the completely automated, driverless trains. It is expected that the total length of the fully automated subway lines in Beijing will reach 300 km by 2020. Nationwide, the fully automatic system will cover 1,000 kilometres. The development and use of domestic operation systems is part of the “Made in China 2025” initiative, which aims to comprehensively upgrade the Chinese industry. The move will also help strengthen China’s presence in the global rail transport industry and ensure security of the country’s key infrastructures.