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28-11-2007
Germany's
auto driveline and chassis technology maker ZF Friedrichshafen AG is on a roll
in Beijing-ironically as part of solution to too many cars. The
company's designs are used in the world's most advanced buses that can move more
people faster and help alleviate road congestion. Part
of its efforts are in a system know as bus rapid transit(BRT) that uses dedicated
traffic lanes, which has proven successful after the first line debuted in Beijing
almost two years ago. China's
first BRT lane in Beijing has given a glimmer of hope to tens of thousands commuters
desperate for smooth aboveground traffic. "It's
a de facto bus-based metro instead of trains,"says Wolfgang Schilha, senior
Vice-President of Commercial Vehicle and Special Driveline Technology Division
of ZF Group. Shuttling
between Qianmen And Daxing District, BRT Line 1 transports around 130,000 passengers
a day with 90 buses that run on a special fenced-in lane with a signal priority
control system. The
buses are 18 meters long and able to carry about 200 passengers, almost double
the capacity of a conventional bus. "Cost for building a fast lane is only
one-tenth of that of subway for each kilometer,"says Wolfgang. The
BRT system has accelerated the transport of passengers and attracted many back
to public transportation, according to Wang Zhentao, technology engineer with
the Beijing BRT operational monitoring and control center. The
capital is now extending its BRT lines to 60 km from the current 17 km on Line
1, with the work scheduled to be completed by year's end. As
sole supplier of the bus driveline system, automatic transmission, low-floor axle
and steering gear for BRT buses in China, ZF enhanced its leading position by
closing a slew of deals with its business counterparts in Beijing. Around
200 buses that to run on BRT Lines 2 and 3 will be equipped with the ZF's axles
and steering system. The
company is also providing axles and the steering system to 1,300 low-floor buses
for Beijing Public Transport Corp. "New
deals have cemented the company's strong presence in Beijing. A total of 2,400
low-floor buses will be running on the roads of the city by the end of this year,"
says Liao Liheng, general manger of ZF Drivetech (Suzhou) Co Ltd. The
low-floor concept was first introduced to China in 2002. There
are now about 100,000 in us around the world. The
design enables passengers to get on and off buses more quickly and allows the
disabled to board easily, shortening time needed to about one second per person. "Bus
passengers expect maximum safety and comfort and our products right help fulfill
these expectations," says Liao. BRT
buses are also operating in Hangzhou, Xi'an and Kunming and will be running in
Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shenyang, Jinan, Shijiazhuang,
Nanjing, Fuzhou and Ningbo in the future. "The
growth taking place in China was anticipated in advance by ZF. Now we're reaping
the benefits,"says ZF Group Executive Manfred Schwab. "We
will continue to participate in China's economic boom by developing products that
are in line with the market. In order to penetrate the market further, we'll need
to offer tailored solutions in engineering, cost and quality." In
addition to axles and low-floor technology, all 90 buses serving BRT Line 1 are
equipped with 6-speep Ecomat transmissions, so drivers on the route are the first
in Beijing to enjoy the convenience of an automatic transmission.
Editor:Ida.Zhang
from Chinabuses.com
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