China builds multiple unit train for Europe

CHANGSHA - The first advanced multiple unit train to be exported to Europe rolled off the assembly line of China's Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co Ltd on Tuesday.

The company, located in central China's Hunan province, is a subsidiary of China's high-speed rail maker CRRC Corp Ltd.

The motor coach train, colored red and yellow after the national flag of Macedonia, is the first of six such trains purchased by the country, said Chen Xihong, deputy chief engineer of Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive. The first one will be delivered soon.

Vlado Misajlovski, minister of transport and communications of Macedonia, witnessed the finished train rolling off the assembly line in a ceremony held at Zhuzhou Electric.

The train is of great significance to the cooperation of the two countries and for China-European rail transport, said the minister.

Macedonia requires the trains have a speed of 140 km per hour. When designing the train, the Chinese company has adopted technology for speed at 160 km per hour to ensure its operational safety and leave room for future speed hikes, said Chen.

The train has three cars which can carry 280 passengers in total. Its design is in line with the most strict safety standards in Europe.

The train will run on the 215-km-long railway between Tabanovce in northern Macedonia and Gevgelija at its southern border with Greece. The track passes the Macedonian capital Skopje.