Beijing's first maglev train delivered

SHIJIAZHUANG - The first train for Beijing's medium-low speed maglev line has been debugged and delivered to the capital city from its manufacturer in Tangshan city in north China's Hebei province Friday.

The train, named "Linglong" and developed domestically by CRRC Tangshan Co, Ltd, will run on Beijing's Line S1 connecting the city's western district of Mentougou to the Pingguoyuan subway station in Shijingshan district.

A total of 10 trains will be put into use in the first stage of operation on the 10.2-kilometer magnetic levitation (maglev) line, Beijing's first. With a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour, the train will stop at eight stations and serve about 1,302 passengers at a time.

Maglev trains are safer and cheaper compared to current metro and light rail cars. Electromagnets and specially designed tracks prevent the trains from overturning or derailing. They can also operate in severe weather with much less noise and zero emissions.

Line S1 is expected to begin operating in 2017.