The newly developed wide gauge subway train by a Chinese factory has officially debuted, exclusively adapted to the 1520mm gauge standard of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Overseas experts have been present to verify and test it, marking the successful entry of China's rail transit equipment into a new overseas segmented market.

New car unveiled at sea

On September 1, 2026, the first subway train developed by CRRC to adapt to the 1520mm wide gauge of the Commonwealth of Independent States was officially unveiled, exclusively for the Tbilisi Metro in Georgia. Experts from the Tbilisi Metro operator have settled in the factory area to conduct train performance testing and pre job training for drivers. The train is expected to arrive locally in October or November and will be put into operation on Tbilisi's busiest subway line, Line 1, in 2027. The train is equipped with a ventilation, refrigeration, and noise reduction system, with a maximum passenger capacity of 280 people per carriage, providing a more comfortable riding experience.

The project scale is considerable

In July 2025, relevant enterprises signed a cooperation contract with Tbilisi City Hall to deliver 14 four car and 11 five car subway trains in batches from 2026 to 2031. The existing subway fleet in Tbilisi was mostly manufactured between 1974 and 1991, with only minor renovations in the later stages, resulting in prominent aging issues. The total investment for this subway modernization project is 200 million euros, including a loan of 125 million euros from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and 85 million euros from the Georgian government. Keywords: CRRC wide gauge subway, overseas rail transit

Market pattern reform

Previously, the Tbilisi subway renovation project was originally planned to be undertaken by a Russian company. Due to international sanctions, the Russian company was included in the relevant sanctions list, and the original cooperation contract was terminated in 2023. The successful entry of CRRC trains into the market this time fills the gap in the local market, breaks the original market pattern, demonstrates the technological advantages and international competitiveness of domestic rail transit equipment, and lays a solid foundation for further deepening the CIS wide rail transit market.Editor/Min Jing