On the first day of 2021, the Medium-Capacity T1 Demo Line was commissioned at Dishuihu Station, Lingang Special Area of Shanghai Pilot FTZ.

Zhu Zhisong, Vice Secretary-General of Shanghai Municipal Government, and Chairman of Party Working Committee and Vice Directorof Lingang Special Area, announced the official departure, and joined with guests and media for a test ride from Dishuihu Station to Qiqing Road Station.

As one of the constructors of T1 Demo Line, Automation Group, an affiliate of Shanghai Electric Group, delivered China’s first iDRT solution for the medium-capacity Digital-rail Rapid Transit (DRT) tram used by T1, including the supply, installation and debugging of electromechanical systems, such as digital rail, train operation management system, specialized wireless communication for trams, specialized backbone communication for trams, intelligent platform system, and control center.

Besides, Shanghai Electric’s world leading surface magnetic markers and underbody sensors also provided lots of benefits in terms of construction period, footprint, energy efficiency and emission reduction. The total cost per km of the Demo Line was only 50% of convention tram lines, which offered a strong fit for Lingang Special Area’s green, smart and integrated transport system.

The core of iDRT solution was a lightweight, smart, medium-capacity rapid transit system, which consisted of magnetic marker-based virtual digital rail and auto-tracking, self-directing virtual rail rubber-tired tram operated in contemporary control model.

By integrating accurate sensing and positioning, coordinated control and intelligent operation management, iDRT enabled automatic tracking, assisted operation and safe protection in train control and management. It not only ensured the high-precision movement of trains along magnetic marker based digital rail, and high-level autonomous driving with independent right of way or under extreme weathers, but also provided other benefits including low costs and excellent flexibility, which made it a perfect choice for urban medium-capacity transport.

Now this solution has entered marketing and pilot stages. The commissioning of Demo Line not only provided a great opportunity to showcase the commercial operation of iDRT solution, but also facilitated the iterations of current products to lay a solid foundation for its industrialization at home and broad.

The commercial use of iDRT-powered rubber-tired trams (digital rail trams) at Lingang will drive the research and development of DRT standards of Shanghai, accelerate the implementation of iDRT solution in unmanned Demon Line, and add more momentum to the development of railway transport related industries, such as smart maintenance and repair.

It is learned that the planned 105km medium-capacity DRT network of Lingang will include 6 lines to provide more convenient transport for Shanghai people.

The 21.7km Medium-Capacity T1 Demo Line, which is located at west part of Lingang where industrial parks meet communities, extends from Dishuihu Station, Metro Line 16 to Nicheng Community in 9 stations, including Central Area of Lingang, College Town, International Logistics Park, Luchao Port Community, Heavy Equipment Industrial Zone. It is scheduled for commercial operation in this June.