# SWJTU lays tracks for unified rail future

- Link: https://www.thailand-business-news.com/pr-news/swjtu-lays-tracks-for-unified-rail-future
- Published: 2026-05-15T14:42:00+07:00
- Author: PR Newswire

University collaborates with ASEAN to harmonize cross-border train systems

BEIJING, May 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —  A news report from China Daily:

 [ ⌊Southwest Jiaotong University celebrates its 130th anniversary with a grand ceremony at its Xipu Campus in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on May 15th. During the event, the university's flag, which had traveled through 66 cities and regions and been held by approximately 1.3 million alumni, returned home after a yearlong journey.⌉ ](https://mma.prnasia.com/media2/2981005/Southwest_Jiaotong_University_celebrates_its_130th_anniversary.html)

Southwest Jiaotong University celebrates its 130th anniversary with a grand ceremony
at its Xipu Campus in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on May 15th. During the event, 
the university’s flag, which had traveled through 66 cities and regions and been
held by approximately 1.3 million alumni, returned home after a yearlong journey.

As a prestigious institution in the field of rail transportation research and innovation,
Southwest Jiaotong University has played a crucial role in the development of China’s
rail infrastructure while fostering close ties with members of the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations through enhanced regional connectivity.

Celebrating its 130th anniversary on Friday, SWJTU is recognized as the first institution
of higher engineering education in China and is known as the country’s "cradle of
railway engineers". It has been instrumental in establishing the China-ASEAN Railway
Interconnectivity Standards Cooperation Alliance, an international body dedicated
to enhancing logistical efficiency by harmonizing railway practices across the region.

The alliance was co-founded by the university in collaboration with the Department
of Railways under the Lao Ministry of Public Works and Transport, the Department
of Standardization and Metrology under the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce,
and the China-ASEAN Standardization Cooperation and Exchange Center. More than 30
governmental, industrial, academic and research institutions are involved in this
collaborative initiative.

SWJTU and its fellow founding institutions provide the academic foundation for the
alliance, which seeks to align rail transit standards between China and ASEAN member
states. The initiative focuses on developing key technical benchmarks and a comprehensive
standardization framework to create international standards for the region.

Pivotal to the alliance’s vision are education and research. Through collaborative
training programs and academic exchanges, the alliance aims to prepare professionals
to lead advancements in railway technology and bring the Trans-Asian Railway Network
to fruition.

**Timely response**

The groundwork for the alliance was laid in June 2024. SWJTU partnered with the 
China-ASEAN Standardization Cooperation and Exchange Center and the Department of
Standardization and Metrology under the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce to
convene the first International Seminar on ASEAN Railway Interconnectivity Standardization.
The seminar was held at SWJTU in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in
Southwest China.

Delegates representing the railway and standardization authorities from China, Laos,
Myanmar and Vietnam discussed how to strengthen ASEAN railway connectivity to bolster
regional trade. They emphasized the need to increase bilateral and multilateral 
exchanges to integrate technical protocols and create a cohesive standards framework
that supports collective growth.

The discussions also called for the institutionalization of frameworks for technological
innovation and standards cooperation, notably the formation of a China-ASEAN rail
transit industry alliance and a regional rail transit ecosystem. The experts reached
a consensus on developing mechanisms for the mutual recognition of conformity assessments
to ensure that technological advancements are shared across the region.

Alongside these technical frameworks, cultural exchange serves as a fundamental 
pillar for long-term collaboration. Committed to building a platform for talent 
cultivation, the partners agreed to establish an international training system featuring
regular workshops and professional development programs. This endeavor will prepare
specialists who possess the necessary skills to aid industrial growth and regional
integration.

The China-ASEAN Railway Interconnectivity Standards Cooperation Alliance was conceived
in response to burgeoning trade between China and ASEAN countries, where differing
railway standards were constraining logistical efficiency.

Since the official launch of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area in 2010, trade between
China and the bloc has expanded significantly. In 2025, the total trade value reached
7.55 trillion yuan ($1.11 trillion), a year-on-year growth of 8 percent. The two
sides have been each other’s largest trading partners for six consecutive years.
This trajectory accelerated in the first quarter of 2026 as trade value hit 1.97
trillion yuan, marking a 15.4 percent year-on-year increase and accounting for 16.6
percent of China’s total foreign trade.

China has been scaling up its southern logistics corridors. Sichuan province exemplifies
this progress, recording over 3,800 southbound international freight train journeys,
including those along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor. These operations
have yielded a cargo throughput of nearly 150,000 standard containers and a combined
import and export value exceeding 10 billion yuan.

On June 12, 2025, the alliance was officially launched at the second Belt and Road
Conference on Science and Technology Exchange in Chengdu.

"Southeast Asian rail networks primarily use meter-gauge tracks (which are narrower
than the standard gauge), and supporting infrastructure, such as electrical and 
communication networks, uses different standards than those in China," explained
Zhu Minhao, dean of SWJTU’s Institute of Traffic Safety Technology. He noted that
without uniform railway standards, freight would need to be transshipped between
different vehicles, increasing logistics and transit times.

Technical interoperability is indispensable for enhancing the efficiency, safety
and sustainability of rail transit systems. As a vital conduit for deepening international
cooperation, it necessitates the concerted efforts of governments, research institutions
and industry stakeholders.

In pursuit of high-quality, shared development under the Belt and Road Initiative,
the "hard connectivity" of rail transit infrastructure should be complemented by
the "soft connectivity" of rules and standards. The establishment of the China-ASEAN
Railway Interconnectivity Standards Cooperation Alliance is a timely response to
this need. By harmonizing railway standards, the alliance aims to eliminate logistical
bottlenecks, reduce transportation costs and increase the efficiency of cross-border
trade.

Zhu noted that the alliance will focus on promoting "hard connectivity" through 
infrastructure development to integrate transportation networks, while advancing"
soft connectivity" through the synchronization of technical protocols. "Using the
standardization framework of China’s national railway as a foundation, the alliance
aims to assist ASEAN countries in establishing their own independent standard systems,"
he added.

Ultimately, this collaborative effort functions as a cornerstone for regional economic
integration, solidifying the BRI’s vision and translating it into tangible, long-
term prosperity for all participating nations.

**Proven model**

The alliance is built on the success of the China-Laos Railway, a model for railway
connectivity between China and ASEAN. Since the line became operational in 2021,
economic and cultural exchanges between China, Laos and other ASEAN member states
have continuously flourished. Furthermore, the initiative has catalyzed progress
in standardization cooperation between China and Laos, with the railway acting as
the primary focal point for technical alignment.

As a railroad jointly constructed and operated by two countries, the successful 
operation of the China-Laos Railway owes much to the alignment of standards. Built
to China’s national railway standards, the railway employs a 1,435-millimeter standard
gauge with rails weighing approximately 60 kilograms per meter. This allows uninterrupted
transit between the two nations via a single train journey.

The China-Laos Railway has increased both the volume and diversity of trade between
the two countries. As of April, the line had operated a total of 21,000 train journeys,
with total cargo volume exceeding 18.6 million metric tons. The variety of goods
now surpasses 3,800 types, reaching 31 provincial-level regions in China as well
as countries including Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

During the first quarter of 2026, the import and export trade value via the China-
Laos Railway totaled 6.81 billion yuan, increasing by 62.7 percent year-on-year.
From Jan 1 to April 26, imported durian shipments on this route amounted to 50,300
tons, marking a year-on-year surge of 94.2 percent.

Once considered a luxury fruit, durians have now become an accessible treat for 
average households. The China-Laos Railway has upgraded the logistical operations
of fruit transport, providing a reliable rail link between Southeast Asia’s orchards
and Chinese consumers’ dining tables.

These figures substantiate the increasing presence of Southeast Asian tropical fruits
in the Chinese market while underscoring the railway’s role as a corridor that propels
cross-border agricultural trade and bilateral cooperation.

With the China-Laos Railway setting an example, ASEAN countries are accelerating
efforts toward regional connectivity. This is evidenced by the 2023 launch of the
Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway in Indonesia and the progress on the China-Thailand
Railway, which is designed to connect with Laos. Aligned through standardized systems,
these projects will provide critical support for the China-Laos-Thailand Economic
Corridor.

**Concerted effort**

The China-ASEAN Railway Interconnectivity Standards Cooperation Alliance is a concerted
international effort, with SWJTU playing a key role as a principal initiator. The
alliance’s inaugural plenary meeting, held on Sept 17, 2025, in Nanning, Guangxi
Zhuang autonomous region, ratified the alliance’s charter and instituted its organizational
framework.

A council was formed, comprising representatives from governmental bodies, universities,
research institutions, third-party organizations and railway design providers from
China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. SWJTU President Yan Xuedong
was elected the alliance’s first rotating chairman. Zhu from the university’s Institute
of Traffic Safety Technology was appointed the alliance’s secretary-general and 
director of the standardization technology committee.

During the plenary meeting, Yan emphasized that the alliance’s formation signifies
a milestone in China-ASEAN rail transit standardization cooperation. "As a principal
founding institution, SWJTU will utilize its academic, research and talent cultivation
capabilities to advance research on international standards, the application of 
research results in enhancing regional connectivity, and collaboration with ASEAN
partners," Yan said. "Our goal is to cultivate international professionals and build
a model for rail transit standardization cooperation to drive regional development."

Dexanourath Seneduangdeth, president of the National University of Laos, expressed
hope that, under the guidance of the China-ASEAN Strategic Partnership Vision 2030,
all stakeholders could jointly formulate a blueprint for collaboration on rail transit
standardization to build a closer China-ASEAN community with a shared future.

Anousone Thipduangchai, deputy director of the Department of Standardization and
Metrology under the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce, said the establishment
of the alliance would facilitate the exchange of expertise in rail transit construction,
operation, management and standardization, thereby optimizing the technical integrity
of the regional rail transit system and driving trade growth in the China-ASEAN 
region.

Deng Junqiao, deputy general manager and chief engineer of China Railway Eryuan 
Engineering Group, voiced his hope that all parties would uphold the principles 
of openness, inclusivity, cooperation and mutual benefit. He emphasized the importance
of working together to achieve efficient rail connectivity across ASEAN to forge
a closer China-ASEAN community.

During the meeting, a tripartite cooperation agreement was signed among SWJTU, the
National University of Laos, and the Department of Railways under the Lao Ministry
of Public Works and Transport. The signatories pledged to launch joint training 
programs for undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students, as well as short-term
training and capacity-building programs. In addition, a platform for joint research
and standard formulation will be created.

Lu Chunfang, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, highlighted that
standardization is a foundational task essential to railway connectivity among ASEAN
countries. "The formulation of standards is a prerequisite, yet the key to connectivity
lies in their effective implementation," Lu said. He commended the alliance for 
converging resources from governments, industries, academia and research institutions
across China and ASEAN, bringing together collective expertise to develop a more
structured and practical standard system.

SWJTU’s leadership in the alliance demonstrates its commitment to fostering international
collaboration and innovation in the rail transit sector. As the university celebrates
its 130th anniversary, its contributions to the BRI attest to the enduring significance
of education, research and standardization in building a more connected and prosperous
world.

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