The staff of Chongqing CRRC Changke Track Vehicles Co., Ltd. are conducting a routine inspection in China’s first multi-adaptive medium-volume monorail transit system in China. (Photographed on February 10,  by Zhang Jinhui / Visual Chongqing)

The double-track bridge over the Lijiatuo Yangtze River for Line 18 completed its closure. The picture shows the steel box girder for the last section of the bridge was lifted by the technical workers of China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd. (Photographed on January 12, by Luo Bin / Visual Chongqing)

CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Embraced by mountains and rivers, Chongqing amazed the world with its gorgeous landscape as an "8D magic city".

Despite the common construction techniques, mechanical equipment, etc., the rugged and mountainous terrain caused obvious difficulties for the development of Chongqing Rail Transit (CRT).

Reviewing the history of CRT development over the past 20 years, we can see that many problems that appeared unsolvable were finally resolved. What kinds of technology are contributing to this success? The reporter has selected several typical projects to make an introduction to you.

Innovative mode: transfer without getting off the vehicle

Miss Qiao, who lives in Ranjiaba, usually goes to work in Tangjiatuo by rail transit and needs to transfer to the Min’an Avenue Station. The one-way trip costs her 40 minutes.

In comparison, the same route costs her less than 30 minutes. How does it happen? It’s because of the demonstrative CBTC system project of CRT (hereinafter referred to as the CBTC project), the first of its kind in China.

It is a wireless communication-based automatic control system that allows rail vehicles to move from one line to another without stopping or changing driving modes. In other words, passengers do not need to get off the train to transfer trains.

With the assistance of the CBTC system, Loop Line (Miss Qiao takes from Ranjiaba to Tangjiatuo), Line 4, and Line 5 have been interconnected since the end of 2021.

The three-line direct express train, running between Tiaodeng (in Dadukou) of Line 5 and Tangjiatuo (in Jiangbei) of Line 4, allows passengers to arrive at Tangjiatuo from Tiaodeng within 59 minutes without the need of transferring (compared to two transfers in the past) and save about 19 minutes compared to the previous trip. If the waiting and walking time required for the two transfers is counted, the express train helps passengers save at least 33 minutes.

The reporter learned that, the CBTC project, as a national demonstrative project led by Chongqing City Transportation Development & Investment Group, not only built the first domestic testing and verification platform for the interoperable CBTC system but also established a series of standards for the interoperable CBTC system for urban rail transit with independent intellectual property. Today, the standard has been used for more than 50 rail lines in over 20 cities in China, and it has also gone global.

The interoperable CBTC signal system adopting the standard was put into operation in Hanoi, Vietnam at the end of 2021, which is an excellent model of Chinese technology, Chinese equipment, and Chinese experience “going into the world”.

New service: ask the robot about traffic routes

"Xiao'ao, Xiao'ao, how to get to Tieshanping?"

Miss Zhao, a passenger was asking the robot “Xiao’ao” in the station hall of the Tieshanping Station of Line 4 on the afternoon of February 22.

After hearing the question, "Xiao'ao" immediately turned to Miss Zhao and led her to Exit 2 of the Tieshaping Station. As it walked, it briefly introduced to Miss Zhao where the entrances and exits of the station led to and what landmarks were outside the station.

“Xiao’ao” can be much more helpful. It can play specific voice prompts in designated areas to help passengers get to the target area and can also provide ticketing services, said Wang Derong, the party secretary and general manager of Chongqing Rail Transit Line 4 Construction and Operation Co., Ltd.

There is more than one "Xiao Ao" in the Tieshaping Station. Intelligence can be seen everywhere. For example, the "face recognition" of the security gate uses the cutting-edge Terahertz security body scanner, which can complete the screening process in 3 seconds and does not require passengers to stop for security checking even when they carry small bags and other items. If a passenger carrying prohibited items goes through the security check, the system will give an alert automatically and show the security personnel the specific location and category of the prohibited item so that they can find it out quickly.

According to Wang Zhi, the government has launched pilot projects to build the International Expo Center Station and the Chongqingxi Station of the International Expo Line into intelligent stations by using intelligent customer service robots, intelligent security checks, intelligent opening and closing, intelligent analysis, and prediction of passenger flow, intelligent energy management and other intelligent scenario applications, so as to operate the stations in a safer and more efficient manner.

This year, the government will speed up the upgrading of intelligent services, tackle the key problems of intelligence-enabled energy saving and carbon reduction with the automatic operation and intelligent stations as impetus, push forward the construction of a demonstrative project of innovative and intelligent Line 24, the data standard system, and the big data platform, and promote the digital industrialization and industrial digitization. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)