Mobility for rail passengers: ThyssenKrupp Elevator receives major railroad order in China

ThyssenKrupp Elevator has been awarded its biggest ever order to equip train stations in the People’s Republic of China with passenger transportation systems. The company will manufacture a total of 234 elevators and 637 escalators and install them in 96 different stations. The contract is part of a nationwide program to expand the rail network with eight new lines, including links to the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing and Hong Kong. More than 12,000 kilometers of new track is currently under construction or at the planning stage in China.

The most significant project in this infrastructure expansion program is a new 1,318 kilometer high-speed link between the capital Beijing and Shanghai. Once it opens in October 2011, modern trains traveling at up to 350 kilometers per hour will reduce the current ten-hour journey to around five hours. 18 stations – virtually all the stops along this line – will be equipped with a total of 253 installations from ThyssenKrupp Elevator. These will guarantee safe and comfortable access to the platforms even in the cold winter months: All outdoor escalators will be fitted with heated entry and exit zones to prevent passengers from slipping on snow or ice. The LED step gap lighting and the integrated "stop and go" function are particularly eco-friendly. Whenever there are no passengers on the escalators, the units slow to a stop. They start up again when anyone passes through a light barrier. This system not only saves energy, it also enhances cost-efficiency.

The region between Beijing and Shanghai in the east of the country is China’s most populous conurbation, home to more than 300 million people – roughly a quarter of the country’s population. The new line will be used by up to 220,000 passengers daily.