China's first new-energy suspension railway will have been commercialized and put into use within 2 to 3 years in Chengdu, Southwest China's Sichuan province, said Wang Kai, vice president of Zhongtang Sky Train Group.

According to the technicians, the suspended "skytrain" is decorated to resemble pandas, which is fashionable and embodies local characteristics of Southwest China's Sichuan province. The trial railway is 1461 meters long. The train, consisting of two carriages, will operate above the ground at a height of around 8 meters, which gives the passengers a clear view of the landscape outside the window.

Each 'Sky Train' carriage, powered by lithium batteries instead of electricity, carries 75 persons at a time.

According to Wang, The suspension rail system has been going through test runs of over 5000 km since last September.

It costs less than 100 million yuan (14.5 million U.S. dollars) to build one kilometer (0.6 mile) of Sky Train rail, much less than subways.

Email: gaohan@nbd.com.cn