On December 28, Shenzhen Metro Line 20 (Phase I) was officially put into full operation thanks to CASCO Qiji® TACS system, making it the first driverless metro line in Shenzhen with the highest automation level (GoA4), which marked the official ushering in "driverless" era for Shenzhen Metro.

Shenzhen Metro Line 20, which runs from north to south, is the backbone line of rail transit supporting the western development axis in Shenzhen, and will give into full play the leading and influencing effect of Futian Center and Nanshan Center on North Bao'an Center and part of areas next to Shenzheng in Dongguan while relieving the traffic pressure of the western corridor. At present, the Phase I project of the line is 8.43km long with 5 stations. In the future, Line 20 will extend southeast to realize the connection and transfer to several rail transit networks, with the interfaces to Dongguan reserved in the north.

As a "demonstration line of advanced technology" for Shenzhen Metro, CASCO's self-developed Qiji® TACS was unprecedentedly adopted as the signaling system for Shenzhen Metro Line 20, which enabled Line 20 to operate in a fully automatic operation mode of the highest level upon being put into operation featuring open cab and a series of fully automated control over functions including automatic wakeup before departure, automatic departure, accurate parking, automatic detection, return to depot and automatic dormancy.

Open Cab of Shenzhen Metro Line 20

As known to all, the signaling system is the core to ensure the driving security and operational efficiency of rail transit, which is of vital significance in the operation of rail transit. The CBTC signaling system extensively used in domestic subway lines now requires train-trackside communication to ensure driving security and safe spacing protection between trains. In contrast, Qiji® TACS realized an operation featuring higher safety, higher efficiency, higher flexibility, lower expense and easier deployment through direct vehicle-vehicle information exchange, "vehicle-ground interlocking" and "vehicle-vehicle communication" for autonomous train resource management and active spacing protection.

As another benchmarking project completed through joint efforts of Shenzhen Metro and CASCO, Shenzhen Metro Line 20 is the 6th metro line put into full operation, whose construction involved CASCO's effort. CASCO also assumed the responsibility of consistency coordinator in the project, as CASCO coordinated and managed the signaling and other core disciplines to make the electromechanical systems, including signaling, vehicle, integrated monitoring and communication, operate in a highly integrated and coordinated manner to ensure the smooth progress and perfect completion of the project with its expertise and experience.

As one sentence in Lisao, an ancient Chinese poetry goes, "Let's wander around the world on the swift horse, with me serving as your vanguard", the successful application of Qiji® TACS not only fulfilled CASCO's commitment to providing the public with perfect travel experience, but also ushered in a new phase in the development of high-performance signaling systems for urban rail transit led by Qiji® TACS.