Sarawak Metro recently jointly unveiled the latest rolling stock from CRRC Corporation Limited – namely the CRRC Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) 2.0 and Cinova H2 New Energy Intelligent Intercity Train – in conjunction with InnoTrans 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
CRRC’s ART vehicles use LiDAR sensors and ‘virtual rail following control’ technology to travel on a pre-defined trajectory. By combining features from buses and trams, CRRC thus aims to offer a convenient public transport option.
ART vehicles currently operate in a semi-automated mode that requires the driver to perform tasks such as accelerating and braking.
With the utilisation of hydrogen power, the vehicle will have a longer range and enhanced environmental credentials as it is also designed for medium-to-low passenger volumes, blending the benefits of trams and road-based vehicles.
Sarawak Metro chief executive officer Mazli Mustaffa, who represented the organisation at the unveiling ceremony, lauded CRRC’s latest achievement, especially on the innovations introduced in its newest version of the ART vehicle.
“It was gratifying to see CRRC’s latest ART vehicle sharing many design similarities with our hydrogen-powered ART vehicle and no doubt the inspiration may have come from CRRC’s work with our engineers when coming up with the final design for our ART for the Kuching Urban Transportation System (KUTS) project,” Mazli said.
As adopted for the KUTS project, the new ART employes rubber wheels and virtual tracks, eliminating the need for physical tracks and catenary while also doing away with track construction and maintenance costs. By doing so, carbon dioxide emission can successfully be reduced by 769 tonnes per kilometre.
Mazli added that he was pleased to see CRRC’s commitment to developing hydrogen-powered solutions for the railway industry with the introduction of the Cinova H2, which is a hydrogen-powered trainset that operates seamlessly on non-electrified railways.
According to CRRC, the Cinova H2 can reach a top speed of 200km per hour with a 4-car formation carrying over 1,000 passengers.
With an estimated annual operation of 300,000km, each train can potentially reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 730 tonnes annually.
