The Chinese capital of Beijing will buy 84 new subway trains and update 60 old ones in No.2 subway line by May 2008, according to a purchase contract signed in Beijing on May 22, 2006 between CNR Changchun Railway Vehicle Co., Ltd. and Beijing Subway Operation Co., Ltd. This is another big contract in capital after Beijing airport metro Project.
The purchase of the new subway trains is part of the improvement project of the Beijing No.1 and No.2 subway lines The new trains have special designs such as: blind tracks for the handicapped, which is also a preparation for the Paralympics Games in 2008; light stainless steel-bodied without paint, which is good for environment; low noise measure, emergency exit door and net control system, which make the metro safety, comfort, speed and reliability.
The 144 new trains cost 818 million yuan (some 100 million U.S. dollars). The first batch will be delivered in May 2007 and all cars will be put into operation prior to May 2008.
After the improvement, the time gap between two close running trains in No. 2 Subway line will be shortened to two minutes.
.
Four subway lines are now in operation in Beijing, with a total length of 114 kilometers and a daily passenger flow of 1.6 million.
By 2008, four other lines will also be running in the capital, bringing the total length of subway lines to 200 kilometers.
