China has begun to test the first commercial driverless sky monorail.
The test took place in its hi-tech park the Chinese City of Wuhan, in the Central province of Hubei on 9th May.
The first commercial sky train – the suspended train- in the country is expected to debut to the public later this year.
The train is completely automated and unattended, and it is suspended beneath a single-rail-type track.
The train’s maximum running speed is 60 kilometres (37 miles) per hour.
It is expected to have a capacity of 200 passengers when it begins service.
The chief designer Wang Kecheng told the South China Morning Post: “It can be used as a commuting method between facilities in big cities, such as from airports and high-speed rail stations to subway stations or other transport hubs, or between terminals in large airports, and connecting between large scenic areas and scenic spots.”
He added: “Its construction period is especially short. The level of intelligence of the train has been greatly improved compared to previous versions.
“For example, it is driven autonomously and equipped with a pulse code modulation (PCM) intelligent detection system.
“The entire vehicle has more than 100 detection points, Constantly monitoring the health status of the train’s important parts and providing a safety guarantee for our vehicles.”
The sky rail line’s construction took around 7 months to finish, which is a short period compared to the traditional subways, which can take up to 4 years to finish.
It will have 16 stops over a route of almost 30 kilometres (19 miles).
One footage that was posted by netizens on Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, shows the interior and exterior design of the train.
In one of the videos, it is seen that the train floor is transparent so the scenic spots can be seen.
