Chinese trains on track to open for Rio Olympics

RIO DE JANEIRO - A new subway line, linking Rio de Janeiro's city centre, tourist neighbourhoods and beach areas to the main Olympic zone will start operating on Aug 1, the state government of Rio de Janeiro confirmed on Thursday.

The key transport line for the Olympics will use Chinese trains designed and produced by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co. 100 electric multiple units (EMU), a type of intercity, highspeed subway train from China, will come into service for Rio Olympics.

During the Games, which begin on Aug 5, services on the new subway line, namely line 4, will run from 6am to 1am on working days and Saturdays and from 7am to 1am on Sundays and public holidays. It has a limited access to the Olympics related people during the Games, and will be fully operational towards the public after the Games.

Track has now been laid along the entire length of the new line, which begins in the famous beachside neighborhood of Ipanema and ends in Barra da Tijuca, home to Barra Olympic Park. During the Games, Barra Olympic Park will be the heart of Games with nine venues hosting 16 Olympic and nine Paralympic sports, alongside the Main Press Centre and the International Broadcast Centre.

In the end of May an underground train made the complete journey on line 4 from Ipanema to Barra for the first time. Work on the giant construction project is now over 96 percent complete; electrical, ventilation and signalling systems are currently undergoing trials and new lifts and moving walkways are being tested.

Changchun Railway Vehicles Co plays an important role in these tests as its trains have to adapt to the electrical, ventilation and signalling systems. Its technical staff also test the engine, break, door and internal partitions of the train. During the Games, the company will work 24 hours a day to guarantee the smooth operation.

When fully operational, Line 4 will transport up to 300,000 passengers every day. It will remove about 2,000 vehicles per hour from Rio's roads at peak traffic times.