Fifty years since Beijing opened Line 1 of its subway, which was also China's very first metro line, the nation will soon have a new metro car that marks the highest manufacturing level from a leading Chinese train maker in Changchun.

While China's railway network and underground trains are getting faster, this "metro of the future" may be heading to a direction that is more intelligent, more efficient and more comfortable.

It's not just about modern lighting, disability aid equipment or smart window displays that allow passengers to enjoy videos and scenery at the same time. The new-generation subway train, made of carbon fiber, is much lighter, thus more energy efficient. And design manager of the subway Qi Yuwen said it is equipped with an unmanned operating system that can automatically start, stop, and monitor the train's operating state to increase its safety.

This cutting-edge metro car, alongside China's first magnetic-levitation train, first straddle monorail and first unmanned urban rail vehicle, all suggest that the manufacturer has made breakthroughs in research and development.

Liu Changqing, chief engineer of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles, said their edge is no longer cost performance but leading basic research capabilities and advanced core technologies regarding network and self-driving.

"Now we can compete with the world's railway vehicle manufacturing giants on the same stage, with the comprehensive solution rather than lower prices that we can provide," Liu added.

Such acceleration in R&D is attributed to the firm's input of over a billion yuan (about 145 million U.S. dollars) into increasing innovation each year, and a fast-growing, better-educated employee group.

Senior expert Xu Jun, whose father was involved in the design of China's first subway train, said China is now back to square one; no other country serves as a model or threshold for China to meet. "So we have to conduct our own research, for example, work with universities and some of our clients, combining their experience with our team to carry out in-depth, integrated research."

Xu said it was through trial and error that they could find a direction that will benefit us in the next three to five years.

And experts say now this direction is leading them to introduce big data, the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence and new energy options into train making. And what we can expect for now, apart from the new metro, is the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway. It should be complete in time for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, and will be the world's first intelligent railway with a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour.

Train makers say the future of embracing smarter, safer and cleaner railway transportation is now.