At 4:00 am on February 28 local time in Turkey, a good news traveled from pleasant Aegean seaside that, in the just finished Light Rail Line 1 main track test in Izmir, the Turkish Light Rail researched and developed by CSR successfully passed the driving test with the highest European standard EN61133 at one stroke and set a record on ramp rescue in China’s transport history in individual driving test.

It is said that since the first three Turkish Light Rails researched and developed by CSR arrived successively from last November in Izmir, the third largest city in Turkey, CSR have sent keen-witted and capable technical forces to carry out a three-month driving test.

According to Yang Ying, the host of the test and chief expert of CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd., the so-called driving test means that the train must pass a comprehensive test with some 10 major and nearly 100 minor indicators such as operational functionality, safety and reliability on the line it will operate on according to international standards and requirements specified in contracts, and only those that pass the driving test can be put into operation.

Ramp rescue concerns the passengers’ life, so it is one of the most important indicators of the driving test. The light rail from CSR showed excellent performance during the test. On that day, a no-load light rail successfully “rescued” an over-load “fault” light rail. The rescuer started and passed a section with a gradient up to 48/1000, which refreshed the record of 40/1000, the former maximum rescued gradient of China’s wheel track-driven trains. That is twenty percent’s improvement in rescue climbing capacity. In addition, it has also broken the rail transit ramp climbing record with a gradient of 33/1000 set by Zhan Tianyou.

The gradient in the Light Rail Line 1 in Izmir is up to 48/1000, which means that the train needs to climb up to a height of one and half floors within a distance of 100m. So what’s the secret behind the success in the test? Xu Zongxiang, Executive Director and General Manager of CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. told the reporter, it should be attributed to the advanced technologies applied in the train, such as industrial leading high-sticking driving control technology and magnetic track friction brake and reel air brake, which prevent that the train from slip and coasting during rescue ramp climbing, providing reliable safety control for light rail operation.

The reporter learned that, as the leading enterprise in China’s transport equipments, CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd. is famous for sticking to the idea of providing all-round system solutions to customers to custom-make the most suitable products for the customers meet personalized demand. The electric locomotive with world’s largest power researched and developed by the company has become absolutely a main force of the 2-ton train running on Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway; and its subway, with a speed of 120km/h running on the Guangzhou Subway Line 3, sets a record of the fastest subway in China. Those idea and capacity has made the company products enter European market and win the Turkey light rail project.

The success in passing the Turkish Light Rail driving test and a new record in ramp rescue not only mark that China’s rail transit products totally comply with world’s highest standard – the European standard in performance, quality and reliability, but also lay foundation for its first passenger-carrying operation in Europe next month.