China Envisions a Future With Ultra-Light Carbon Fiber Subway Trains. It's Already Produced the First One

China is one of the world’s leaders in the railway sector. The country has built gigantic stations, such as Guangzhou Baiyun, and has some of the world’s fastest and most modern trains, like the Fuxing Hao. But its track record includes many more achievements. A few weeks ago, CRRC Sifang and the Qingdao Metro unveiled the world’s first carbon fiber subway train: CETROVO1.0 Carbon Star Express Rail.

This train has recently completed post-production testing and will begin a demonstration run on Line 1 of the Qingdao Metro sometime this year. According to Sina, the train is up to 11% lighter than an alloy steel equivalent but also quite resistant.

A Carbon Fiber Train in China

The manufacturer’s mission was to reduce the train’s weight as much as possible to lower the subway’s operating costs and, in turn, reduce its environmental impact by consuming less energy. Carbon fiber, widely used in sports cars and aircraft for its lightness and strength compared to steel, became the ideal material for achieving this goal.

The chassis and the bogie frame, the structure supporting the wheel sets, are made of carbon fiber composites. CRRC Sifang states that the first is 25% lighter than a conventional train, while the second is 11% lighter. At the operational energy level, the company says that consumption will be 7% lower than that of an equivalent traditional train.

Weight reduction and improved efficiency aren’t the only benefits of the CETROVO1.0, though. The manufacturer claims that using carbon fiber has made it possible to create a much more resistant train. The parts made of this material have a higher fatigue resistance and should offer a longer service life. CRRC Sifang also claims that the train has many other interesting new features.

In addition, a maintenance system called SmartCare performs self-diagnostic tasks related to vehicle safety. It also tracks structural health, performance, and efficiency improvement metrics. The result? CRRC Sifang promises to reduce maintenance costs by about 22%. The carbon-fiber subway train is a reality and will soon begin its trial run in China.

This article was written by Javier Marquez and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.

Images | CRRC Sifang

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