Xiongan may begin underground, unmanned, magnetic-suspension delivery loop system in 2-3 years

A cutting-edge, intelligent delivery system which uses unmanned, magnetic-suspension capsule cars in an underground loop will be laid out in North China's Xiongan New Area in 2 to 3 years.

The solution, developed by Chinese company JD Logistics to help cities raise efficiency, was shown at the Global Smart Logistics Summit in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, on Tuesday, according to local media.

The loop system will connect sites like logistics centers, supermarkets, warehouses and industrial parks, and deliver goods with unmanned, magnetic-suspension capsule cars. Deliveries can arrive directly at peoples' doors in these capsules in the near future, read the local media report.

In the initial city planning of Xiongan, the docking points for underground intelligent systems were set out in advance. Within the next 2 to 3 years, the new delivery system will appear in the city, the report said.

"Xiongan is a city of innovation. In the government's city planning, intelligent transport and logistics systems like this were definitely planned," Xu Yong, chief consultant of industry website cecss.com, told the Global Times on Wednesday.

Intelligent logistics were treated with great importance in the building of the city. In a new city like Xiongan, such projects are easier to promote, the costs are relatively low and they could provide a good demonstration for later layouts in other cities, Xu said.

In developed cities that already have relatively complete infrastructure, JD Logistics' underground delivery system will be combined with established public transport systems like subways, and will bridge the "last kilometer" to users, the report said.