There can’t be many of us living in China who have not, at one point or another, fancied going to see pandas in Sichuan, in their natural environment, in the wild. And so it comes to be, with a new train, built for purpose, which has been recently rolled out. And it’s a train with quite a few differences.
The new train comes in the form of a rack trainset for what will be a 129-kilometre-long railway under construction that shall link Dujiangyan and the Mount Siguniang Scenic Area in Sichuan Province.
That connects to the-famed Wolong Giant Panda Natural Reserve to the Area’s east, the true home of China’s pandas.
Built by CRRC Ziyang, the train comprises a four-car 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-unit (EMU) that will run on a 1-metre-guage track using rack equipment.
During the opening ceremony on 24 November, it was revealed the train has a surprisingly fast top speed of 120 kilometers per hour in “adhesion mode”, but just 40 kilometers per hour on a rack section of the line.
As with China’s high-speed trains, three classes of accommodation for passengers are offered, with a total of 145 seats.
Large curved panoramic windows complete the panda-tourism package that also offers all the usual 5G and satellite navigation modcoms.
The whole line is costing PRC ¥21.6 billion, with 11 stations, 25 bridges and 86 kilometres of track in tunnels, reports Railway Gazette.
As well as all the attractions for tourists, the new line will also shorten journey times between Dujiangyan and Siguniangshan from 5 hours to 2 hours.
The line is expected to partially open at the end of 2023, while completes operations need to wait until 2026.
Such rack railways are thought to be a big future draw for tourism in mountainous areas. They are safe, environmentally friendly and relatively cheap to build.
