A staff member tests a middle-to-low-speed maglev train at CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, April 29, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Eight railcars made by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Sifang started trial operation in Chicago, US on Wednesday.

The testing of the railcars from CRRC Sifang has started since last summer, with out-of-service to evaluate their performance. Once the in-service testing, which is to last nine months is satisfactorily completed, batch production and delivery will start.

The railcars have blue end caps, new layout of headlights and LED lighting to maximize customer comfort. The maximum speed of the railcars is 113 kmh.

CRRC Sifang won a $1.3 billion contract in 2016 to supply 846 7000-series railcars to Chicago Transit Authority. For the project, CRRC Sifang has constructed an assembly factory on the south side of Chicago. The factory has not only generated hundreds of jobs for Chicago but also created opportunities for local suppliers and related businesses, making it in the first time in more than 50 years that railcars were produced in Chicago.