On the morning of February 3, accompanied by clear tinkles, a brand-new autonomous rail rapid transit (ART) started from Tongli Ancient Town Station in Wujiang District all the way through Chongben Road, Damiao Road, Yunli Road, Tongjin Avenue and finally arrived at Tongli Station near Suzhou Rail Transit Line 4. This is the first ART in the Yangtze River Delta Ecological and Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, and is estimated to come into service in the second half of this year. After coming into public service, ART is expected to play an exemplary role in the development of green and smart transportation in the demonstration zone.
Driven by electricity, the Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) doesn't require contact lines or tracks embedded into the ground, combining the advantages of modern trams and regular buses.
A marshalling is made up by 3 carriages with a total length from 31 to 32 meters, which can carry 307 passengers at a time and is able to flexibly adjust its transport capacity according to the changing passenger flows.
Each carriage can travel 60 to 70 kilometers when fully-charged.
