CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. has released its latest development, a new generation medium and small capacity straddle monorail train. Straddle monorails are favored by many cities due to their small footprint, strong climbing ability, and energy efficiency and environmental friendliness. As the manufacturer of China's first straddle monorail train, CRRC Changchun initiated and formulated national and industry standards for monorail systems, and was the first to obtain the national manufacturing qualification. The new generation monorail vehicle released this time is based on over 10 years of operational experience and R&D data, and adopts the latest technological achievements such as fully automatic driving, permanent magnet traction, and cold resistance and snow prevention. While increasing capacity, it achieves lightweight and energy-saving operation, reduces engineering construction and operating costs, and will become another star in the urban rail train series. The new generation straddle monorail train released this time is available in three models: large, medium-small, and small, which can be flexibly marshaled according to passenger flow conditions. The maximum passenger capacities of 4-car trains are 962, 792, and 552 people respectively. The body adopts a large curved surface and streamlined design, coupled with modern exterior painting, fully demonstrating a sense of speed and modernity. Due to the use of more mature dual-axle bogies and air spring suspension systems, the technical challenges of monorail vehicle running stability and comfort have been solved, improving the passenger experience. At the same time, all vehicle running gear is located below the floor and does not intrude into the interior, making the cabin more spacious and transparent.
Safety and stability are the top priorities for urban traffic managers. Since China's first straddle monorail vehicle rolled off the production line at CRRC Changchun in 2004, its 770 monorail trains have been operating across the country, with an average daily passenger volume exceeding 1.3 million. During operation, technical personnel have accumulated massive operational data and train maintenance experience, and have conducted targeted research to solve various technical problems that may arise due to different geographical environments and road conditions. Based on this, they have made improvements and innovations, endowing the trains with strong adaptability and stability.
"Black technology" throughout the body
While adhering to reliability first, the new generation straddle monorail train is equipped with many cutting-edge technologies in rail equipment.
The train adopts self-developed fully automatic driving technology, providing optimal traction and braking curves and operation plans through an automated network control system, thereby shortening departure intervals and improving train operation efficiency. The train's power system uses permanent magnet traction motors, which are characterized by light weight, small size, high efficiency, and low maintenance, achieving weight reduction, efficiency improvement, energy saving, and environmental protection. At the same time, some components of the train use carbon fiber composite materials to further achieve lightweight effects, with a weight reduction of over 25% per car, thereby reducing energy consumption by 22.7%. In terms of safety, the train is equipped with a battery emergency traction function. When power supply equipment fails, the train can use the battery to tow the vehicle to the nearest station and organize passenger evacuation. It also has multiple reliable rescue methods, providing technological support for the safety of monorail vehicles.
To cope with the cold weather environment in northern China, the train combines the core technology of China's high-cold EMUs to provide professional and complete cold protection solutions for low-temperature and severe cold regions, ensuring that the vehicle can start and operate normally in -40°C low-temperature environments. With the specially developed ice-breaking and snow-removing vehicle, the train can travel unimpeded under various extreme road conditions.
Customized cost management expert
Relatively low construction and procurement costs are one of the advantages of monorail trains. The new generation straddle monorail train released this time adopts designs such as lightweight, low axle load, and energy-saving power supply, saving operating costs, while also significantly reducing the engineering volume of civil construction and power supply facilities for the line, lowering project costs. Since all components of the train are independently developed and manufactured in China, procurement and maintenance costs are further reduced.
The entire vehicle adopts a modular design, allowing users to flexibly configure according to actual needs, such as adding Ethernet train network control systems, per-car power packs, intelligent passenger information systems, intelligent particle color-changing glass windows, and other upgrade designs, truly realizing customized transportation equipment.
The latest new generation medium and small capacity straddle monorail train combines safety and advanced technology, and will once again provide personalized solutions for increasingly busy urban traffic.