On June 14, as the first EMU train slowly pulled into the Tianfu EMU Depot, it marked the official commissioning of the first phase of Sichuan's newly built EMU "4S Inspection Center" in Sichuan Tianfu New Area.

The first Harmony EMU train slowly pulls into the maintenance workshop of the Tianfu EMU Depot. Photo by reporter Liu Zhongjun

On the morning of June 14, the reporter saw at the Tianfu EMU Depot that the first Harmony EMU train slowly pulled in and headed for the EMU workshop to prepare for its first maintenance work. In the command hall, staff were observing vehicle operation through the display screen of the integrated intelligent command system. The Tianfu EMU Depot has introduced a new-generation information technology and intelligent equipment system, the "Integrated Intelligent Command System." This system acts like the "brain" of the depot, enabling real-time monitoring of various maintenance operations for EMU trains, real-time access to and sharing of maintenance information, and intelligent scheduling of maintenance plans.

The Tianfu EMU Depot is located in Taiping Subdistrict, Sichuan Tianfu New Area. It was designed by China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group and constructed by China Railway 19th Bureau Group and China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau Group. It leads out from the throat at the exit end of the newly built Tianfu Station, passes underneath Dongshan Avenue, then turns north and connects to the depot along the foot of Longquan Mountain. "The Tianfu EMU Depot has a planned total area of about 2,090 mu and is the largest EMU depot under construction in Southwest China," said Yu Fenghaoyue, chief designer of the Tianfu EMU Depot at China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group. The depot is planned in two yards, east and west. The east yard, covering about 1,110 mu, is the one commissioned this time. It consists of three sections: Storage Yard No. 1, Storage Yard No. 2, and the maintenance workshop. The total building area is 95,800 square meters, with 12 maintenance lines capable of maintaining 24 standard EMU sets simultaneously and handling maintenance tasks for up to 90 standard EMU sets per day.

Panoramic view of the newly built EMU "4S Inspection Center." Photo by reporter Liu Zhongjun

Lu Yao, manager of the Third Division of the Chengdu-Zigong High-Speed Railway Project Department of China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau, said that compared with other domestic EMU depots, the Tianfu EMU Depot has upgraded some conventional equipment. For example, the wheelset diagnostic equipment used by the depot to detect wheel damage on EMU trains has, for the first time, raised the passing speed for entry inspection from 10 km/h to 30 km/h, greatly improving EMU maintenance efficiency. In addition, the maintenance workshop has upgraded and installed an intelligent ventilation and temperature control system integrating temperature sensing, rain sensing, and wind control, which reduces energy consumption while improving the comfort of the working environment for maintenance personnel, and also brings a smarter, more coordinated, greener, and more efficient experience to EMU "inspections."

The Tianfu EMU Depot is responsible for Level 1 and Level 2 maintenance, unscheduled maintenance, special maintenance, expanded maintenance at 600,000 kilometers, exterior cleaning, sewage suction operations, and other tasks for EMU trains. It is designed to handle maintenance for 120 EMU sets, can perform Level 1 maintenance on 90 standard EMU sets per day, and can carry out maintenance operations on 24 EMU sets simultaneously. "The depot is mainly responsible for the maintenance and servicing of EMU trains. After an EMU train has been running online for more than 48 hours or more than 6,600 kilometers, it must undergo Level 1 maintenance at the depot," said Yang Lei, director of the Tianfu EMU Depot of the Chengdu EMU Section of China Railway Chengdu Group Co., Ltd. The Chengdu East EMU Depot has 171 EMU sets assigned to it, and its yard storage and EMU maintenance production capacity are already saturated. After the Tianfu EMU Depot is commissioned, it will operate in coordinated linkage with the Chengdu East EMU Depot as one integrated system, multiplying the storage and maintenance capacity for EMU trains.

Technicians from China Railway Construction Electrification Bureau are conducting patrol inspections in the EMU maintenance workshop. Photo by reporter Liu Zhongjun

It is reported that in the initial stage of operation, the Tianfu EMU Depot plans to have 20 CRH1A EMU sets assigned to it, and the first passenger-carrying EMU train is expected to depart on June 15 and enter passenger service. After the Tianfu EMU Depot is commissioned, it will create conditions for Sichuan to add more assigned EMU trains, raise the level of high-speed rail service in Sichuan toward public-transit-style frequency, and meet public travel demand.