Knorr-Bremse, a global provider of braking and other systems for rail and commercial vehicles, has won its largest-ever “multi-system order for the Chinese metro”.
The company will be delivering ‘braking and entrance systems’ to equip Beijing’s new metro line 17, as well as HVAC systems for the city’s line 19. With braking system deliveries having started in the third quarter of 2020 and continuing to the end of 2023, Knorr-Bremse will provide technologies worth a “mid double-digit million-euro sum” for 78 trains that will be manufactured by the Chinese train producer CRRC. The trains will be operated by Beijing MTR.
Jonathan Paddison, a director of Knorr-Bremse Asia Pacific, said: “Public transportation is essential for the functioning of megacities, and it shapes how millions of people move around urban areas every day.
“Therefore, we are all the more pleased to contribute to better mobility by rail, help increase transport capacities and improve passenger comfort for the people of Beijing.”
The contract between Knorr-Bremse and CRRC includes the supply of braking systems featuring EP 2002 brake controls, external sliding door systems with a noise-reducing entry feature from Knorr-Bremse subsidiary IFE, and pressure-sealed HVAC systems from MERAK (Knorr-Bremse’s global brand for integrated climate control solutions).
Knorr-Bremse will equip 68 trains (544 carriages) with braking and entrance systems for line 17, and 10 trains (80 carriages) with HVAC systems for line 19, amounting to 78 trains with a combined total of 624 carriages.
Serving an average daily ridership of 10.35 million people (2019) and with passenger numbers expected to rise over the coming years, Beijing has one of the world’s busiest metro systems. With multiple new lines planned or under construction, its system length of about 699km is set to grow to around 1,000km.
With a length of 49.7km and top speeds of 100kph, the new line 17 is scheduled to start service in 2022. Fully automatic and designed as a rail transit line, it will run through central Beijing.
By winning Beijing line 17, Knorr-Bremse’s braking systems will now be present in Beijing’s subway fleet on a large scale.
In addition, it will be the first time that IFE delivers door systems for the Beijing subway market.