Subway cars produced by CRRC Changchun are ready for passengers in Boston, Massachusetts, US, on Dec 30, 2020 (EDT). [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The subway cars independently researched and developed by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co Ltd (CRRC Changchun) for the Red Line rapid transit route in Boston, Massachusetts, the United States, started passenger service on Dec 30, 2020 (EDT).

All of the subway cars put into service were produced in CRRC’s base in Changchun, the capital city of Northeast China’s Jilin province.

The subway cars have a stainless steel body, with a fixed passenger capacity of 252, a maximum passenger capacity of 1,686 and a maximum running speed of 100 kilometers per hour.

Utilizing a new vehicle platform, the subway cars produced by CRRC Changchun have a length of 21 meters and a width of 3 meters. Compared with the subway cars on Boston's Orange Line transit route, the Red Line cars are broader and longer, and their passenger-carrying capacity is 23 percent greater.

The subway carriages have completely independent intellectual property rights in China and follow the design concept of the Orange Line subway cars exported by CRRC to Boston. The carriages meet more than 120 American standards – such as vehicle control safety and quality management system standards – and also meet many other local requirements.

Compared with old subway trains operated in Boston, the new subway cars boast new systems and settings, which significantly improved the stability, controllability, safety and passenger comfort.

In response to the severe situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US, CRRC personnel from China and the US have remotely cooperated to complete 109 type tests and 32 routine tests. They have also conducted 500-mile no-load commissioning before putting the new trains into official use, ensuring the smooth operation of the first batch of subway cars for the Boston Red Line project.