A fleet of 28 six-carriage Innovia monorail trains recently entered commercial service on Wuhu Rail Transit’s Line 1 in Anhui Province, China. The first of its kind in China, Wuhu’s new monorail is elevated and equipped with automatic train operation (ATO) ‘grade of operation 4’ (GoA4); this is the highest level of automation available and enables the Innovia monorail to operate fully automated, without driver or attendants.

The Innovia ‘monorail platform’, along with a total of 168 carriages, was provided by Alstom’s Chinese joint venture CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Ltd (PBTS). The related Cityflo 650 signalling system that enables the automatic train operation was provided by Bombardier NUG Signalling Solutions Company Ltd (BNS) — Alstom’s signalling joint venture in China. Alstom’s joint venture for propulsion in China, Bombardier NUG Propulsion System Co Ltd (BNP), provided the Mitrac propulsion equipment for the monorail trains.

Game changer for residents
Jianwei Zhang, president of Alstom China, said: “The start of operation marks another milestone for Alstom’s Chinese joint ventures, which remain committed to working alongside our customers. Wuhu’s new fully automated and driverless elevated monorail will be a game changer for residents, decreasing their commute time while also reducing congestion, pollution, and carbon emissions in the city.

“It is an important part of Wuhu’s ongoing efforts to redefine its urban transportation to the benefit of its passengers and the environment. In October, over 40,000 people experienced the country’s first fully automated and driverless elevated monorail train first-hand during trial runs.”

Wuhu Line 1’s new elevated monorail operates at a speed of 80kph, has ‘a strong dynamic performance, exceptional climbing ability and a tight turning radius’, making it well adapted to the needs of an urban landscape. Furthermore, the ‘elevated guideways’ are built off-site to permit fast assembly with minimal disruption on-site.

Alstom in China has 13 joint ventures, seven wholly foreign-owned enterprises, and over 11,000 employees. Together, the joint ventures have delivered more than 5,900 railway passenger carriages, 1,530 electric locomotives, 7,194 metro carriages, 536 monorail carriages, 168 automated people mover carriages and 191 tram cars to China’s growing rail transit market as well as to overseas markets.

In China, Alstom also provides customers with a wide range of services solutions, from heavy maintenance to modernisations, and currently has 2,252 metro carriages under maintenance contracts. The company is a major signalling supplier to the Chinese high-speed network.