The 12th World Congress on High-speed Rail opened in Beijing on Tuesday, gathering over 2,000 representatives from more than 60 countries, regions, and international organizations to discuss the future of the high-speed rail industry.
Running from Tuesday to Friday, the event was jointly organized by the China State Railway Group Corporation Limited and the International Union of Railways (UIC).
At the opening ceremony, the China State Railway Group released a report on the development of the country’s high-speed railway, with the latest data showing that, by the end of last year, the operating mileage of China's high-speed rail reached 48,000 kilometers, accounting for over 70 percent of the world's total high-speed rail mileage.
Over 40 countries and regions in Asia, Europe, North America and Africa have been working with China on railway planning, design, construction and operation.
Daochinda Siharath, director general of the Lao National Railway State Enterprise, said the China-Laos Railway has been helping provide premium services to Lao people.
"We provide people the services for the public in terms of passenger services and also in terms of freight and goods transport," he said.
China spearheaded the development of all 13 system-level international standards for high-speed rail set by the UIC, contributing to the enhancement of global technological standards for high-speed railways.
"China has taken the measures and has really sized and designed the station where the customer experience is really taken into consideration. Whether it's maintenance, operation, customer experience, the contribution of China Rail is massive in these developments and the evolution of the standardization," said Francois Davenne, director general of the UIC.
Initiated by the UIC in 1992, the UIC World Congress on High-Speed Rail has been held every two to three years since.
12th World Congress on High-speed Rail opens in Beijing
