Rail transit expo held in Hunan province

The 2021 China International Rail Transit and Equipment Manufacturing Industry Exposition was held at the Zhuzhou Rail Expo Park in Zhuzhou, Hunan province, from December 8 to 11. He Baoxiang, Vice Governor of Hunan, said that the province is the country’s largest base for the research and development (R&D), production and export of rail transit equipment, with an output value accounting for more than 30% of the country’s total. It is home to 126 labs and innovation centers. “Holding the Expo is of great significance for building a strong nation in transport and enhancing the high-quality development of the rail transit industry,” said Feng Yaoxiang, Director of the Trade and Investment Promotion Department of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT). Titled “Smart Tracks, Connecting the Future,” this year’s expo is conducted both online and offline, covering 60,000 square meters and attracting more than 800 domestic and foreign companies.

Concurrent with the Expo, a series of forums were held, such as the China-U.S. Rail Transit International Cooperation Roundtable Forum, Hunan Rail Transit Industry Promotion and Project Consultation Conference, Urban Rail Transit Construction Investment and Financing Forum, China International Rail Transit and Equipment Manufacturing Industry Expo Talent Summit as well as 10 market-oriented supporting events. Six Academicians, 19 well-known experts and many influential entrepreneurs discussed the new trend in the rail transit industry and exchanged views on industrial innovation and development. During the Expo, 70 investment projects in the rail transit and equipment manufacturing industry in Hunan were launched, with a total investment of CNY121.63 billion.

The first session of the Expo was held in Changsha in October 2019. It attracted 406 exhibitors and 30,000 visitors with the release of 107 new products and technologies, 28 cooperation projects signed, and a contract value of CNY2 billion. China’s high-speed railway operating mileage, urban rail transit operating mileage, and railway electrification rate rank first in the world. Zhuzhou is the world’s largest rail transit manufacturing base with the strongest supporting facilities and leading technologies. Zhuzhou rail transit products are exported to more than 70 countries and regions, and its global market share of electric locomotives is 27%, ranking first in the world. The total output value of Zhuzhou’s rail transit equipment industry cluster reached CNY131 billion in 2020, the China Daily reports.