There can’t be many of us living in China who have not, at one point or another, fancied going to see pandas in Sichuan, in their natural environment, in the wild. And so it comes to be, with a new train, built for purpose, which has been recently rolled out. And it’s a train with quite a few differences.
The new train comes in the form of a rack trainset for what will be a 129-kilometre-long railway under construction that shall link Dujiangyan and the Mount Siguniang Scenic Area in Sichuan Province.
新列车采用齿轨列车组的形式，用于正在建设中的连接都江堰和四姑娘山风景区的129公里长的铁路。
That connects to the-famed Wolong Giant Panda Natural Reserve to the Area’s east, the true home of China’s pandas.
它与该地区东部著名的卧龙大熊猫自然保护区相连，那里是中国大熊猫的真正家园。
Built by CRRC Ziyang, the train comprises a four-car 1·5 kV DC electric multiple-unit (EMU) that will run on a 1-metre-guage track using rack equipment.
该列车由中车资阳公司建造，由四节编组1·5kV直流动车组组成，采用机架设备在1米轨距轨道上运行。
During the opening ceremony on 24 November, it was revealed the train has a surprisingly fast top speed of 120 kilometers per hour in “adhesion mode”, but just 40 kilometers per hour on a rack section of the line.
在11月24日的开通仪式上，据透露，该列车在“粘附模式”下的最高时速高达120公里，令人惊讶，但在线路的齿轨段上，最高时速仅为40公里。
As with China’s high-speed trains, three classes of accommodation for passengers are offered, with a total of 145 seats.
与中国的高铁一样，为乘客提供三个舱位，共有145个座位。
Large curved panoramic windows complete the panda-tourism package that also offers all the usual 5G and satellite navigation modcoms.
大型弧形全景窗户完善了熊猫旅游套餐，该套餐还提供所有常见的 5G 和卫星导航调制解调器。
The whole line is costing PRC ¥21.6 billion, with 11 stations, 25 bridges and 86 kilometres of track in tunnels, reports Railway Gazette.
据铁路公报报道，全线耗资216亿元人民币，设有11座车站、25座桥梁和86公里隧道轨道。
As well as all the attractions for tourists, the new line will also shorten journey times between Dujiangyan and Siguniangshan from 5 hours to 2 hours.
除了所有旅游景点外，新线路还将都江堰至四姑娘山之间的行车时间从5小时缩短至2小时。
The line is expected to partially open at the end of 2023, while completes operations need to wait until 2026.
该线路预计于2023年底部分开通，竣工需等到2026年。
Such rack railways are thought to be a big future draw for tourism in mountainous areas. They are safe, environmentally friendly and relatively cheap to build.
这种齿轨铁路被认为是山区旅游业未来的一大吸引力。它们安全、环保且建造成本相对较低。
