On October 20, the kick-off meeting of the first key consultation and appraisal project on “Research on Rail Transportation Development Strategy in China” of Chinese Academy of Science launched in Chengdu. Academician Zhai Wanming of Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) would take the lead on the project.
The project has gathered key staff from more than 40 representative units and institutes including China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Group Limited, CRRC Corporation Limited, National Innovation Center of High Speed Train, SWJTU, Beijing Jiaotong University, Tongji University and Tianjin Research Institute for Advanced Equipment, Tsinghua University with aims to comb through the vital and fundamental research direction and core scientific and technological issues on the development of modern rail transportation, predict the trend of disciplinary development, sort out the possible fields and directions for rail transportation technology of our nation over to surpass and lead the advancement of global one, propose relevant suggestions as references for leadership and carry forward the development of national rail transportation in a sound, constant, stable, intelligent and economical way.
Mr. Yang Dan, President of SWJTU pointed out that SWJTU, being a supporting power, serves as a responsibility undertaker, moving on its way closely with the development of national rail transportation since 123 years of establishment and making an ever lasting contribution to helping China rail transportation realize a historical over-leap from nothing to beings and from poor to strong. During this time when Chinese Academy of Science tended to formulate a key consultation and appraisal project, project of “Research on National Rail Transportation Development Strategy” led by Academician Zhai Wanming has been listed as the first funding project. “We are deeply honored and take more responsibility”, said President Yang. SWJTU, as the academic leader of “Discipline Cluster of Big Transportation” in all fields, will give itself full play in tackling key common technology and conducting major engineering practices in the field of transportation; putting more effort to create groups of talents and carry on cultivation; offering more suggestions for strategic consultation and scientific decisions and finally working together with representative units of domestic rail transportation such as China State Railway Group Co., Ltd., China Railway Group Limited, National Innovation Center of High Speed Train, Beijing Jiaotong University and Tongji University to devote more wisdom and power for the construction of “Strengthen Country by Improving Transportation”.
Academician Yang Wei of Science Department of Chinese Academy of Science mentioned that Chinese Academy of Science has attached great attention on the strategic and consulting research on rail transportation and determined to establish such key consultation project on “Research on National Rail Transportation Development Strategy”, which is bearing high hopes as it is the first project with key consultation at Chinese Academy of Science.
According to the introduction by Academician Zhai Wanming, the project is divided into three parts, namely research on technology innovation and leading development strategy of high-speed rail transportation, research on technological innovation and leading development strategy of express and heavy-load rail transportation and research on development strategy of urban rail transportation in China. The project has grouped 16 Academicians in related fields as a consulting team to, through the researches, satisfy domestic needs, lead international development as guideline so as to point out the direction and path for future development of national rail transportation , push national rail transportation to develop in a sound, stable and sustainable way, analyze the possible areas and directions that China’s rail transit can catch up with and lead the global development and form corresponding consulting suggestions for national leaders. “Even though China’s rail transportation construction has made brilliant achievements, it still faces many emerging problems and challenges in the large-scale and rapid growth.” Academician Zhai indicated that it’s the right time to research on the development strategy of China’s rail transportation, which is of great significance to study and judge the future development path of China’s rail transportation, lead the technological reform, realize a healthy, stable and sustainable development of China’s rail transportation and give impetus to domestic social and economic development.
At the meeting, guests also witnessed the Unveiling Ceremony of the Faculty of Transportation Engineering of Southwest Jiaotong University, which stands as a cross-schools and cross-disciplines institution to overall collaborate and manage the construction of the first-class discipline of transportation engineering. It is mainly composed of 4 sub-disciplines, namely, the national key laboratory of traction power, the department of road and railway engineering and the department of transportation and logistics at Civil Engineering School, and the department of automation control of the school of information science and technology. Prof. Zhai Wanming, academician of Chinese Academy of Science and the director of academic committee of SWJTU, would take the post as the faculty director.
