This is the first test of the new Canada Line vehicle running in automatic in Rotem's South Korea plant - September 12, 2007. The trains (ROTEM EMU) are designed and built in South Korea by Rotem Company, a division of Hyundai Motor Group. In total twenty fully-automated articulated trains are on order. Capacity of the new trains is estimated at 334 people, with a top speed of 80 km/h. Married pairs of gangway connected cars will be 41 metres long and 3 metres wide, both longer and wider than the ART fleet used by the current SkyTrain lines, and will have electronic 'Next Destination' signs on each train. These trains are currently used by Hong Kong's MTR and KCR. Each articulated train costs $3 million; $1.5 million for each car; a total of CAN$60-million for 20 trains/40 cars. Technical Summary - Train Configuration: 2-car trains - Maximum speed: 80 km/h - End to End Journey time: 25-26 mins - Passenger capacity: 334 per train - Seating configuration: Side-by-side transverse seats, flip-up seats at wheelchair and bicycle positions - Bicycle accommodation: 2 per train - Wheelchair accomodation: 4 per train - Length: 41 metres - Width: 3 metres - Height: 3.6 metres - Weight: 76 tonnes empty Features - Air conditioned interior - Wide aisles between seats for smooth passenger flow - Walkway between vehicles - Accessible for wheelchairs, strollers and bicycles - Passenger silent alarm - Emergency passenger-operated intercom panels - Electronic "Next Station" signs in each train - Electronic "Destination" signs on the outside of each train - Public Address System announcing next stations - Modern vandal-resistant finishes - Silver stainless steel exterior - Fully automated and driverless operations --------------------------------------- At a length of nearly 19 km, the Canada Line will be an automated rapid transit rail service connecting Downtown Vancouver with central Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport -- linking growing residential, business, health care, educational and other centres in the region -- and adding transit capacity equivalent to 10 major road lanes. The Canada Line will connect with existing rapid transit lines at Waterfront Station and major east-west transit services, creating an enhanced transit network to serve the region in time for the 2010 Winter Olympics. The line is expected to carry 100,000 passengers per day at launch and 142,000 passengers by 2021. Travel times southbound from downtown Vancouver will be 25 minutes to Richmond Centre and 26 minutes to the airport terminus. Northbound, trains will leave Richmond City Centre and YVR every six minutes heading to Vancouver. The departures will be coordinated to allow for a train every three minutes on the main line in Vancouver.