CRRC supplies trains for Rio Olympics

More than half the subway trains running in Rio de Janeiro's metro system will be Chinese products after the city deploys 15 subway trains, with a total of 90 cars, on its newly built Line 4 on August 1, reported CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co on Monday.

All the trains have completed trial tests, including electric power, ventilation and signal systems.

The new line, a key infrastructure project that connects the Olympic Village and the Copacabana area in central Rio, will be able to transport up to 300,000 passengers a day and reduce road traffic by at least 2,000 vehicles during peak hours.

Wang Huaifeng, chief representative for CRRC Changchun's rail project in Rio de Janeiro, said that even though Line 4 was completed earlier this month, all metro trains have been tested during the day and night time for running-in and breakdown inspection. They were shipped to Brazil in November 2015.

"Comprising six cars, a subway train can carry up to 2,240 people and run at a maximum speed of 100 kilometers per hour. The train is also equipped with an overspeed protection device that will automatically sound alerts and help to slow down the train, once the speed reaches the limit," said Wang.

To withstand the heat in Brazil, Chinese subway trains are also equipped with an air-conditioning unit that has a refrigerating capacity of 50 kilowatts, which will allow the train to operate in temperatures as high as 56 C.

"After the operations begin next week, 34 out of 64 metro trains running in Rio will be made in China. This is the first time for a Chinese trainmaker to provide transportation service outside China for the Olympic Games," said An Zhongyi, general manager of CRRC Changchun.

The company, located in northeastern China's Jilin province and a subsidiary of country's largest trainmaker－China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, supplied rolling stock to put into use to help ferry the public and the soccer fans between Rio's central station and the Maracana Stadium during the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

The company now has a technical team of 60 people who will stay in Rio until the end of August overseeing operations. The company has also stored 382 parts and 87 tools for tackling maintenance and emergency situations during the period of the Olympics.