China’s CRRC Corp., one of the world’s largest train manufacturers, has started testing a new “trackless electric train” that is a hybrid between a full-fledged train and a bus. The Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit system, or ART for short, can transport as many as 500 passengers in a five-carriage train and will travel at about 45 miles per hour. It is being called the “world’s first unmanned smart electric bus,” and a brief video of the system in operation can be viewed on YouTube at this short link: https://bit.ly/2ypUT29
Though the train-bus hybrid is autonomous — packed with sensors to follow its designated routes and to avoid obstacles — a driver is currently kept onboard as a backup safety measure.
Physically, the ART system resembles a train, yet it has the added flexibility of not having to follow train tracks, meaning it can change its routes according to shifting development and population patterns. In that regard, its functionality will be very similar to a city tram system, without the major cost involved in laying actual train tracks. Instead, it follows virtual tracks that are painted on streets and system pathways, and it follows the designated routes using tires and an electric powertrain.
The electricity-powered transit system is emission free and runs on lithium-titanate battery packs capable of running the train for 15 miles per charge, and can be fully recharged in just 10 minutes.
Feng Jianghua, the system’s chief engineer, told The Daily Mail the virtual railway is much cheaper to build compared with a tram. It would cost 150 to 200 million yuan ($22 million to $30 million) to build 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) of tramway in China, but cost of the virtual train would be 50 to 100 million yuan ($7.5 million to $15 million) for the same distance.
The ART system is currently being tested in Zhuzhou in the Hunan Province of southern China, and is expected to complete construction and become operational in 2018.
Mike Consol (m.consol@irei.com) is editor of Real Assets Adviser. Follow him on Twitter @mikeconsol to read his latest postings.