China witnessed a breakthrough in metro technology when a driverless subway train rolled off the production line in Qingdao, the coastal city of Shandong province, on Feb 26, the Qingdao Daily reported.

An automated driverless subway train rolls off the production line in Qingdao on Feb 26. [Photo/dailyqd.com]

Produced by the State-owned high-speed train maker CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co Ltd, the train utilizes some of the most advanced automation technology in the world, and can start, stop, and check itself for maintenance, controlled from a remote monitoring center.

Jiang Xin, an senior engineer of the company said that compared with human control, the driverless train can avoid human error, improve the train's efficiency and safety, as well as reduce the cost of operation.

The train has a stainless steel body and can travel at a maximum speed of 100 kph. It can also be switched into manual and semi-automatic modes when necessary.

The train is expected to be put into trial operation on Beijing subway’s Yanfang Line this year after some tests. The line has been designated as a national model for pushing forward driverless subway trains around China.

Since Paris opened the first automated driverless metro line in 1998, automatic driverless trains have been rolled out on more than 50 metro lines around the world.

The International Association of Public Transport estimated that by 2020, 75 percent of new metro lines and 40 percent of existing lines will adopt automated driverless technology.