A cutting-edge monorail has debuted in Wuhan on Thursday and the advanced design is expected to be a boon for the environment. Li Jin has the details on what's being referred to as China's first sky train project. 

A suspended monorail slowly takes off at Jiufeng Mountain Station in Wuhan. Called the Wuhan Optics Valley Suspended Monorail Line, or simply the sky train for short, it's an all new urban transportation system with low and medium traffic, that's also environmentally sustainable.

As China's first commercial sky train, the line adopts multiple advanced technologies and offers 270-degree views with a panoramic sunroof installed on the floor.

WANG KECHENG Chief Designer, Qingdao CRRC Sifang Rolling Stock Company "This train adopts unmanned driving, being equipped with intelligent PCM detection. Compared with the first generation of products, it saves 15 percent more energy. In terms of smoothness and comfort, there's a significant improvement in our products."

The Optics Valley Suspended Monorail Line runs at a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. In the initial stage, two sections are used, accommodating some 220 people at most. At present, the first phase runs to a total length of 10.5 kilometers and along the route, passengers enjoy beautiful scenes.

YANG QINGMEI Director of R&D Center, Optics Valley Traffic Company "This tourist line is designed to the north and south of our ecological corridor, for the development of cultural tourism in the Optics Valley. So far, the greening of the landscape has been completed and can be viewed along the route."

Foreign reporters touring Hubei had positive comments for the Optics Valley Photon Suspended Monorail. Takemura Kento, a Japanese journalist, praised the line on Thursday as well as advances in Chinese technology more broadly.

Li Jin, for CGTN, from Wuhan.