On May 11th, China began the trial operation of a new suspended monorail called “the Optics Valley Photon”. This advanced transportation system is not only futuristic in design but also provides a glimpse into the future of urban mobility. The suspended monorail, located in Wuhan, Hubei Province, falls under the category of three-dimensional transportation with independent road rights and is unaffected by ground traffic or pedestrians.
The suspended monorail is designed with a blue color scheme that gives it a futuristic feel. It has the capacity to carry over 220 passengers and can reach speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour. Additionally, it can be configured with 2-6 carriages to accommodate varying transportation requirements.
The route spans 26.7 kilometers and includes 16 stations. Transparent viewing windows are incorporated into the cabin side windows and carriage floor, offering passengers a panoramic view of up to 270 degrees. This unique feature allows passengers to enjoy an aerial perspective of the scenery along the way.
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The monorail has a fully automatic unmanned driving function that controls the entire process of vehicle start-up, parking, storage, and door opening/closing without any manual operation. It is set to commence operations this year and offers four ways for passengers to purchase tickets: QR code, integrated circuit card, facial recognition, and palm vein recognition. Notably, this is the first time that palm vein recognition technology has been implemented in Wuhan’s public transportation system.
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