Metro Line 18 puts high-tech trains to the test
Chen Xiaojun, a test driver on Metro Line 18, operates a train from Yuqiao station to Hunan Highway station on Tuesday morning.
With construction on Metro Line 18 well underway, Shanghai Daily joined other local media on Tuesday for a first ride on one of its new state-of-the-art trains.
The train ran from Yuqiao station to Hunan Highway station on Tuesday morning to test the stability of its electricity supply system, as well as the train itself and the rails, according to Shanghai Metro.
While trains on Line 18 are designed to operate at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour, test driver Chen Xiaojun reached only about 20 kilometers per hour on Tuesday.
“Metro Line 18 will be driverless, but if necessary the trains can also be operated by drivers,” he told Shanghai Daily.
Chen said a complete test run is scheduled to be finished by September, with driverless test runs planned next.
According to Shanghai Metro, the city's Metro operator, work on Line 18 has been meeting goals despite disruptions from the coronavirus epidemic at the beginning of this year.
A section of the Metro line from Yuqiao station to Hangtou station is expected to open by the end of this year.
The line, 36.8 kilometers in total length, starts at South Changjiang Road station in the north and runs through Baoshan and Yangpu districts and the Pudong New Area, with interchange stations for Lines 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 16.
Wireless phone charging
Metro Line 18 will be the first in Shanghai to provide in-carriage wireless service and USB phone charging for passengers.
Zhang Feng, a project manager of Line 18, said the trains are equipped to meet the highest safety standards.
The trains also include passenger-friendly features such as adjustable lighting.
“In summer, the passengers will find the lights in the trains a bit cooler in tone, while in winter they will feel warmer,” Zhang said.
The wireless phone charger in a Metro Line 18 train.
Two technicians test the traction network of the train during Tuesday's test ride.
