CHINA: CRRC has unveiled the first four-car suburban rail electric multiple-units that it is building for Ningbo’s under-construction lines 10 and 12.
The supplier says that lines 10 and 12 will be ‘China’s first demonstration project for the standard regional Type A trains’, which are designed for 160 km/h operations, significantly higher than the typical 80-100 km/h top speed on existing lines in China.
The trains are being developed in collaboration with Ningbo Rail Transit, and were unveiled at the manufacturer’s Ningbo Industrial Base on March 25.
The trains feature a seat configuration for longer journeys. They are designed to be 2·4% lighter than existing regional trains, and their streamlined design reduces aerodynamic drag by about 5%. The vehicles feature permanent magnet synchronous traction motors that are intended to further cut energy consumption, all leading to an approximate 15% overall energy saving versus legacy designs, according to the manufacturer.
Serving suburbia
The vehicles will be used on standalone suburban rail lines 10 and 12, which are being built with specifications similar to the increasingly long metro lines now common in Chinese cities. Both lines are scheduled to be completed at the end of 2026.
Line 10 — the Ningci line — will be 63·6 km long, linking Kongpu station on metro Line 2 with the northern suburbs, serving seven underground and six elevated stations.
Line 12, or the Ningxiang line, will be 61·4 km long. It will connect the Xiaoyangjiang station on lines 4 and 7 with the southeastern suburbs, serving two underground and eight elevated stations.
