China has just finished testing a newly developed monorail train powered by permanent magnet synchronous motors as the country pursues its goal to get rid of two major problems: traffic jams and air pollution.
A subsidiary of the country's biggest train manufacturer China Railway Rolling Stock Corp., the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. had successfully tested China's first-ever monorail train that runs on magnetic power on Sunday, China Daily reported.
According to the outlet, this marks a significant milestone for the transport industry in the country as the government continues to look for alternative public transportation vehicles to promote less use of private cars, thereby eradicating traffic gridlocks and alleviating air pollution at the same time.
The Maglev Train
According to the train's chief designer Zhong Yuanmu, the magnetic levitation technology that runs CRRC's monorail train not only is efficient in terms of transporting people from one place to another, but it is also an effective alternative to traditional trains since it saves 10 percent of energy.
Aside from that, the train also produces much less noise compared to its ancestors since it runs smoothly at a regulated speed.
"The train will produce even less noise than a car, even as it goes [at] speeds of 70 km/h," Zhong said.
In terms of safety measures, Zhong said that the train has a state-of-the-art fire prevention system that has sprinklers that automatically turn on in case of fire.
So far, the technology has been tested in the transport industry by only a handful of countries including China.
Solution to Traffic and Pollution
According to CRIEnglish, the Chinese government is planning to pursue this project even if a number of countries who have tried the technology have scrapped the idea due to high development costs.
The outlet said that the authorities see the potential of the maglev monorail train as a possible solution for both the nightmarish traffic jams and the life-threatening air pollution in China.
Aside from the train, China is also considering pursuing an innovative new commuter transport called the "straddling bus," which is primarily designed to beat traffic jams.
According to The Guardian, the so-called Transit Explore Bus or TEB, which was introduced during a technology expo in Beijing, is designed to glide above cars stranded in traffic.
Many were impressed at the idea, especially after the project's chief engineer Song Youzhou explained that the bus is energy-efficient and environment-friendly.
However, a blogger in Greater Washington said it would be better if China removed the traffic congestions instead of building a run-around to actually solve its traffic problem.