Chinese-American railway collaboration continues success

The Chinese-American Railway Transportation Joint Research Center (CART-JRC) is continuing its impact on the transportation world. 

CART-JRC is a long-term partnership between the CRRC Corporation Limited in China and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that formed in 2016. The mission is to connect faculty and researchers at UIUC with cutting-edge technologies at CRRC to develop green, efficient, and sustainable railway transportation. The center is hyper-focused on engineering technologies for high-speed trains, intercity and urban rail transportation, and freight rail transportation in both China and the United States.

Within the past two years, CART-JRC has developed and implemented a new generation of train communication and control systems, high-efficiency magnet traction motors, fluid mechanics near high-speed trains in a complex environment, air conditioning within trains, and new energy-efficient and durable materials in rail systems.

In May, CART-JRC welcomed a delegation from CRRC Institute led by Vice President Bangcheng Sun and engineers Yin Tian, Boge Wen and Junen Yi.

CART-JRC is sending a group of UIUC faculty to visit CRRC in China this month, and Smart Transportation Infrastructure Initiative Director Imad Al-Qadi will be joining the delegation of faculty members on this trip. CART-JRC will also soon partner with and operate under STII, thus allowing the initiative to fulfill its goal of serving as an umbrella for all modes of transportation activities across disciplines.

CRRC Corporation Limited, a multi-billion dollar company and the world’s largest supplier of rail transit equipment, is the sponsor of CART-JRC.