The view of the new type of electric railway trolley during its test run in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province, February 22, 2019. (Photo: chinanews.com)

A new electric railway trolley, also known as light-rail vehicle, equipped with self-driving technology has been put to the test on tracks in the city of Harbin, which was the first time for a self-driving railway train system developed in northern China.

The train is over 30 meters long and is capable of running at a highest speed of 70 kilometers per hour. Compared to old types, this trolley is more environmentally friendly, as it produces less emission and is more suitable to run in the city without visible rails.

The train has gone through a series of tests to cope with the winter road situations prior to the test running in Harbin, including situations like operating on frozen road and under extreme low temperatures.

The first test run was without passengers, and it was scheduled for Friday and Saturday. The second round tests will start from next week with passengers on board and will finish in March.