Officials and industry leaders from over 60 countries have gathered at the 12th World Congress on High-Speed Rail in Beijing since Tuesday to learn from China's high-speed rail development experiences with great interest and explore opportunities for cooperation.
Held under the theme "High-Speed Rail: Innovation and Development for a Better Life," the event attracted over 2,000 attendees to join the international dialogue, with many of them sharing that the trip to China offers chances to see the latest developments in the high-speed rail industry and inspires valuable insights to take back home.
"I understand the new trains are more modern, faster, better. That's what I like to see here," Said Kaido Zimmermann, the General Director of Estonian Railways.
In addition to various train models, China's massive high-speed rail network spanning its vast territory attracts more attention. Data show that the country has constructed 48,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, over 70 percent of the world's total, with up to 10,000 high-speed trains operating daily nationwide, serving as many as 16 million passengers.
"It's definitely been a rapid progress. That's for sure. Nobody has done this sort of network expansion in a short period. It's very commendable, and something others can look forward to. I hope we can learn a thing or two from what we're seeing here, from China's railways, and implement it back at home," said Dennis Noble, an engineer from Queensland Rail, Australia.
Kevin Smith, Editor-in-Chief of the International Railway Journal, a prestigious UK-based magazine for rail industry professionals, commented that China's network is not only an advanced railway system, but also a vital toolkit for the country to bring together all parts of the country and boost the economy through connectivity.
"I think it's a central plan to connect the whole country and to promote economic development. And the presentations that we've seen at this event showed that there's a real willingness to change the geography of the country, bringing cities that are once distant much closer together, bring economic integration between different areas to connect people, offer opportunities to travel like they haven't had before," said Smith, during his trial ride on the CR400 prototype of China's Fuxing high-speed train.
The congress also serves as a platform for a vital industry gathering, offering takeaways of not only China's experiences but also insights from the global rail industry.
"I'm really impressed by seeing the powerful rail industry you're having here, and I expected to see what the industry is doing and what we can use out of this experience for Europe," said Richard Neussl, the Managing Director of the Austrian railway company Kontron Transportation GmbH.
The 12th World Congress on High-Speed Rail marks the second time China has hosted the event, following its inaugural hosting in 2010.
Global industry professionals learn from China’s high-speed rail experiences at World Congress
