Maglev train production on track

China's first 160 kilometer-an-hour magnetic levitation trains will be delivered this year - a breakthrough that will help accelerate the pace of developing a medium-to-low speed series of maglev family products, a leading rail sector executive said on Thursday.

A production line with intelligent manufacturing systems will be launched by the end of 2018, said Zhang Liqiang, vice-president and chief financial officer of CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd.

Zhang said the trains will be used in Central China's Hunan province, where the nation's first 100 km/h maglev rail line has been "operating safely and smoothly" since last year.