A driverless subway train rolled off the production line in east China's Shandong Province on Friday.
The train is produced by state-owned high-speed train maker CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd. in Qingdao City. With a signal from the subway control center, the train can start its own engine and make stops at designated stations without a driver, according Jiang Xin, an official with the company.
"Core technology for making the train is home-grown, which is a huge breakthrough in the domestic subway industry," Jiang said.
Jiang said the self-driving train, made with leading safety technology, avoids human error during operations, which improves train efficiency and safety.
"The train has detecting equipment, which pulls the brake if the train derails or hits any obstacle," Jiang added.
The autonomous driving train has four cars, with a maximum speed of 100 km per hour. It can be switched into manual mode when necessary.
The train will be used in Beijing's subway system this year, after trial operations.
