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China's first home-made light-rail trains completed

Xinhua, 25 November 2001

CHANGSHA, November 25 (Xinhua) -- China's first two home-made light-rail trains rolled off line Sunday in Xiangtan in central China's Hunan Province.

With a maximum speed of 70-80 kilometers per hour, the self-designed new trains are very comfortable and can carry more than 300 passengers each, sources said.

Involving a variety of advanced technologies, the trains can be used for the light-rails on streets, elevated expressways or subways.

The two trains will be transported to Changchun, capital of northeastern Jilin Province, where construction of China's first light rail is underway.

The 15-kilometer-long rail will be put into operation next summer if the test run succeeds. It is estimated to transport nearly 10,000 passengers at a speed of 25 kilometers per hour.

China's capital of Beijing will build 450 kilometers of rail networks in the next five years to improve urban transportation.

Some subways and light rails are under construction in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Dalian, Changchun, Guangzhou and Wuhan with a combined length of 167 kilometers, sources said.