November 18 saw the opening of the 2022 Conference on Rail Transit Energy and Power Technology in Chengdu.  

Focusing on “Innovation Drives Development and Technology Leads the Future”, the conference had one main forum and two sub-forums on railway energy & power technology and urban rail transit energy & power technology, and was hosted by Southwest Jiaotong University in collaboration with National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technique Research Center, Electrification Committee of China Railway Society, and Rail Transit Committee of China Technology Market Association.

Speakers of honour included He Huawu, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, former Chief Engineer of the Ministry of Railways of the People's Republic of China and former Deputy Director of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Prof. Qian Qingquan from SWJTU, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, Wang Baoguo, Safety Director of State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (CHINA RAILWAY), Director of State Administration of Work Safety and Director of Electrification Committee of China Railway Society, Tao Yuanxing, President of China Technology Market Association, Yao Faming, Vice President of SWJTU, etc. At the conference, Chen Weirong, Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, presided over the opening ceremony.

According to He Huawu at the opening ceremony, interdisciplinary integration of emerging technologies has brought new chances and challenges for the reform of rail transit equipment technology. We should leverage the power of new energy, energy storage, artificial intelligence, big data and other advanced technological means to accelerate the transformation and upgrading of rail transit energy and power systems and to maintain sustainable development of rail transit. Wang Baoguo added that electrification serves as the driving force for the development of China's modern railways, especially high-speed railways. Under such a background, the important mission of providing inexhaustible power shall be fulfilled under the guide of “Powerful Nation Railway Advance Planning”. Tao Yuanxing further clarify that safe, efficient, green and low-carbon transport industry is the global consensus for future development, and we should be prepared for more new opportunities and challenges arising from the transformation and upgrading of the industry.

On behalf of President Yang Dan, Yao Faming, Vice President of SWJTU, said that in face of the iterative evolution of engineering technology towards engineering science in the field of transportation, the University is striving to be “a world-class university with distinctive transportation characteristics”.

At the main forum, special reports were made by professors including Gao Shibin, Jiang Xianguo, Ding Shukui, and Tie Libing. During the sub-forums, 33 reports were made by academicians, experts and scholars from universities and institutes, national railway groups, metro companies, planning/design institutes, construction and equipment manufacturing enterprises and others to share new ideas, new technologies and new equipment for low-carbon, green and intelligent development of rail transportation industry. More than 200 industry representatives were present and nearly 30,000 participated the conference online.