From June 13 to 15, 2024 International Metro Transit Exhibition & Forum (Beijing-Nanjing) (MetroTrans 2024) and the First Popular Science Exhibition for China Urban Rail Transit were held at Nanjing International Expo Center. This grand event brought together 509 renowned Chinese and international exhibitors and over 200 guest speakers from around the world to discuss the cutting-edge technologies and future trends in urban rail transit.

With the theme “Intelligent Control Enables a New Future”, UCI showcased three technological innovations: a digital foundation platform covering cloud, network, edge, and end domains, a fully automatic operation (FAO) system, and an integrated solution for low-capacity investment, construction and operation. Their exhibit at Booth 6-205-1 in Hall 6 attracted significant attention from industry experts, partners and metro operators.

During the exhibition, UCI actively participated in various activities of the MetroTrans 2024. Leaders and experts from UCI engaged in discussions and shared insights at multiple parallel sessions, delving into the latest technological achievements and future directions of urban rail transit. Through these exchanges and presentations, UCI showcased its innovative strength and technological leadership in urban rail transit and contributed its insights and efforts to advance the development of urban rail transit.

MetroTrans 2024, a significant platform for exchanges in the urban rail transit industry, has significantly enhanced its international profile and showcased a strong academic atmosphere. The forum gathered rail transit experts and visiting scholars from 24 countries and regions across five continents to collectively explore the future of rail transit. Additionally, the inaugural international academic forum, centered around “Innovation and Development”, attracted numerous Chinese and international peers to discuss the trends and challenges in rail transit development.

UCI actively supported the organization of the international academic forum, specifically inviting Mr. Jeong Ri-taek, EngD, Director of the Track Department at Seoul Metro, to attend. Mr. Jeong delivered a keynote speech titled “Improving Safety through IoT-based Smart Urban Railway Track Maintenance”, sharing his extensive experience and insights in smart urban railway track maintenance.

During his speech, Mr. Jeong elaborated on the working principles and advantages of IoT-based smart urban railway track maintenance systems. He called upon attendees to strengthen international cooperation to advance the application and development of IoT technology in the rail transit industry, with a view to contributing to the safety and sustainable development of urban rail transit worldwide.

On June 14, the Medium and Low Capacity System Development Forum was held grandly during the MetroTrans 2024. Themed around “High-Quality and Sustainable Development of Medium and Low Capacity Systems”, the forum attracted over 230 representatives from across the country, including those involved in the design, construction, operation and manufacturing of medium and low-capacity urban rail transit systems.

The forum featured a roundtable discussion chaired by Feng Aijun, Vice President of the Low Capacity System Branch of the China Association of Metros (CAMET). During this session, Zhang Hui, Secretary of the general Party branch committee and Chairman of UCI, was invited to join eight other guests in sharing valuable experiences on the planning, design, construction, operation and equipment intelligence of medium and low capacity systems. They engaged in thorough discussions on achieving high-quality and sustainable development of these systems.

Zhang Hui reflected on his personal involvement and witness in the tram and other low-capacity system sectors over the past decade. He detailed the challenges encountered during industry development and emphasized the crucial importance of intelligence in the rail transit industry. He further explored the development direction of rail transit control and command systems, including technology centered around vehicle platforms, comprehensive multi-disciplinary data sharing and integration, and the deep application of artificial intelligence technology. Additionally, he shared the collaboration case between UCI and Huawei in the Qingpu Tram project, highlighting how the precise application of AI technology optimized operational command and therefore significantly enhanced train operation efficiency and safety.

With an aim for the healthy and sustainable development of the medium and low-capacity system industry, Zhang Hui shared his insights. He believes that with national policies encouraging diverse investment entities to enter this field, the medium and low-capacity system industry will embark on a new chapter of development. Social investors can prioritize tourism rail transit projects and promote industry growth through cost reduction and efficiency enhancement strategies, thereby invigorating the entire industry. Zhang Hui firmly believes that only when the entire industry enters a path of healthy and sustainable development can comprehensive solution providers like UCI thrive, progress alongside the industry, and achieve prosperity together.

The Urban Rail Digitization and Safety Forum focus on three major areas: urban rail informatization, safety management, and technological equipment, aiming to make the urban rail industry smarter, greener and sustainable. The forum gathered numerous industry experts and leaders to discuss how new technologies can transform and enhance the urban rail industry. Vice President Ding Shukui, Deputy Secretary-General Wang Yankai from the CAMET, Vice Director and Secretary-General Li Guoqing from CAMET’s Technical Equipment Committee, Vice Director and Secretary-General He Xiaogui from CAMET’s Safety Management Committee, and over 230 guests from more than 100 organizations attended the forum.

At the Urban Rail Digitization and Safety Forum, Zhang Likuan, Product Director of UCI, delivered a presentation titled “Openness and Integration: Practicing Digital Transformation in the Urban Rail Industry”, providing insightful insights for attendees. He emphasized that in recent years, the ICT infrastructure construction in the urban rail industry has developed rapidly, and the digital transformation has entered the phase of realizing value from practical scenarios. Looking ahead, he highlighted the industry’s continuous advancement aligned with high-quality and sustainable development requirements.

Addressing the current challenges facing the urban rail industry such as data isolation between OT and IT layers, and the severe silos among specialized systems, leading to inefficiencies, resource waste, and maintenance difficulties, he proposed the concept of “openness before integration”, and emphasized the shift from fragmented organization to an organic entity to achieve comprehensive data interoperability horizontally and vertically.

Zhang Likuan also presented typical practices of digital transformation at UCI, including the heterogeneous multi-cloud management platform, the Intelligent Control Integrated Machine, and the Feng Niao Auto Gate. Looking ahead, he proposed creating an organic entity through decoupling, reconstruction and self-iteration, aiming to achieve the ultimate vision of dynamic decision-making intelligence for cross-specialty integration in urban rail operations. His presentation sparked extensive interest and discussion among attendees, providing valuable insights and practical experiences for the digital transformation of the urban rail industry.

On the morning of June 14, the 3rd Urban Rail Transit SME Forum was held during the MetroTrans 2024. The forum, themed “Innovation and Cooperation in Sino-German Rail Transit Industry”, was supported by the CAMET, the Beijing Fengtai Rail Transit Intelligent Control SME Cluster, and the German Modern Railways expert consultancy. It was hosted by the Member Services Department of the CAMET, and assisted by the Low Capacity System Branch of the CAMET, Beijing Zhongguancun Rail Transit Industry Development Co., Ltd., Nanjing Rail Transit Industry Association, and Sino-German Modern (Tianjin) Railways Technology Development Co., Ltd. The forum was organized by Beijing CAMET Culture Communication Co., Ltd. and Shanghai EPN Skytrain Technology Group Co., Ltd., and moderated by Bo Chunyu, Executive Vice President of Beijing CAMET Culture Communication Co., Ltd.

At the forum, Liu Dong, General Manager of the Low Capacity System Division at UCI, delivered a speech titled “Development and Application Prospects of Low Capacity Rail Transit Systems”. He comprehensively reviewed the development of low-capacity control systems in rail transit, delving into future research trends. Inspired by advancements in automotive intelligent driving technology, Liu Dong extensively explored the potential technological pathways for low-capacity automated driving. He conducted a thorough analysis of Tesla’s large language model technology and, in conjunction with Huawei Tram project’s vehicle-infrastructure cooperative model, proposed a grand vision of “Creating a New Future for Low Capacity Rail Transit Using Large Language Model Technology”.

During the forum, the “Zhongguancun Sino-German Innovative Transport Industry Cooperation Platform” unveiling ceremony and platform signing ceremony were held ceremoniously. Representing UCI, Liu Dong joined other guests to witness this pivotal moment and signed a “Project Cooperation Framework Agreement” with four other platform entities. This collaboration aims to leverage deep cooperation across technology, markets, industries, projects and capital, harness respective strengths to jointly build a comprehensive competitive edge, and establish a leading domestic and globally advanced provider of comprehensive solutions for medium and low capacity rail transit.

As the MetroTrans 2024 successfully concluded, UCI gained numerous remarkable moments and profound experiences. While the exhibition has ended, the future development of rail transit continues to unfold. Let’s look forward to reuniting in 2025, witnessing further integration of technology and innovation, and exploring the limitless possibilities of rail transit.