China has opened its first virtual rail train to passengers in Sichuan. Instead of using rails like traditional trains, the system uses sensors to build a route map. The railway line, called ART T1, cost $120 million and currently serves the city of Yibin.
It is estimated that it can currently accommodate 10,000 passengers per day and increase to 25,000 in the future. ART T1 has a maximum speed of 70 km/h and can carry 300 passengers at a time. The train is also capable of operating autonomously. A person sitting behind will be responsible for handling emergencies such as the train deviating from its trajectory or encountering an obstacle.
The ART (Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit) rail system was developed by China's CRRC Corporation, one of the world's largest train manufacturers. The invisible railway is 3.75 meters wide and is represented by white dots on the road.
Feng Jianghua, chief engineer of the train, said that building a virtual railway system is much cheaper than subways or trams. The train is equipped with various sensors and can collect information and determine its position on the road surface as it moves.
In fact, the ship was first introduced in 2017 in the city of Zhuzhou, but it has only now been put into operation. Production has exceeded the original schedule by about a year.
