China’s longest Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit (ART) line, the T4 Line of Yibin ART system in southwest China’s Sichuan, started passenger test operation on Monday.

The total length of T4 Line is 46.69 kilometers, with the main line 29.71 kilometers and the branch line 16.98 kilometers.

There are 22 ground stations and one parking lot on the line. The design speed of the line is 70 kilometers per hour.

Connecting Sanjiang New District and Nanxi District of Yibin, the main line is a major framework for rapid contact between the urban area of Yibin and its Nanxi District. The branch line combines passenger transport with leisure sightseeing, thanks to a landscape corridor along the Yangtze River.

The T4 Line has shortened the travel time between Sanjiang New District and Nanxi District to 20 minutes.

According to staff members of China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group Co., Ltd, the ART doesn’t run on real rails. It is equipped with various optical and other types of sensors to allow the vehicle to automatically follow a route defined by a virtual track of markings on the roadway.

The ART trains are powered by quick charging batteries, which can be charged by the rails above the two sides of the station.

The operation of the T4 Line will promote the integration of Nanxi District into the central urban area of Yibin, said Nanxi District authorities.