Gif photos of a Fuxing bullet train under maintenance have gone viral on Chinese social media as the giant machine goes up and down in the photo as if doing push-ups.
Two Fuxing bullet trains on Monday arrived in an advanced maintenance workshop in Beijing for the first level-three maintenance in the high-speed rail section of the workshop. After running for 1.2 million kilometers, the bullet trains must undergo a level-three checkup and a level-four is required after running for 2.4 million kilometers.
A level-three check mainly inspects the bogie, the framework that carries wheelsets. The most important part of the inspection process is to separate the vehicle from the bogie with the train’s lifting equipment.
The gross weight of a Fuxing set is about 450 tonnes, which is equivalent to more than 200 automobiles. Hence, to hoist this giant, a special lift-up apparatus is deployed, which is able to support over 1,088 tonnes.
The short-model Fuxing train (CR400AF) has a total length of 208.95 meters, with a closely compacted vehicle bottom and bogie. During the hoist process, it is necessary to ensure that the lifting height of each train is consistent. No lapses are allowed.
To guarantee travel safety, China’s bullet trains undergo various checkups after entering service. Level-four, the highest level of maintenance, tests the performance of each component of the entire train.