Beijing-Zhangjiakou automated high-speed train to test next year

An automated high-speed rail line linking Beijing and Zhangjiakou, host cities of 2022 Winter Olympics, will undergo testing next year, reports chinanews.com.

"The smart train will run automatically. It's also going to be built with environmentally-friendly materials," said Wang Run, a NPC deputy and chair of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, the company that developed the Fuxing bullet train.

A crew member stands in front of a Fuxing bullet train developed by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles. [File photo: Chinanews.com]

Saving more than 7.5 percent of energy used to power the current trains, the new smart train will complete its trial run on a line linking Beijing and the city of Shenyang in Liaoning in the summer of next year, according to Wang.

The smart train is also designed to run on different line gauges, meaning it could meet the demands of running between China and other countries involved in the Belt and Road Initiative.