A once-idle building near Tianjin Railway Station has been transformed into a new landmark for scientific innovation. The former northern auxiliary structure, now known as the "CRRC Tangshan Tianjin Science and Technology Innovation Center," spans over 20,000 square meters and sits adjacent to the station, serving as a platform to accelerate the development of rail transit technology and drive the industry toward the future.
What was previously underutilized space has become a hub for rail transit innovation. The surrounding area of Tianjin Railway Station is a key zone for the city's integrated development of stations, industries, and urban functions. Hedong District and Tianjin Rail Transit Group Co., Ltd. have revitalized the existing facility, converting it into a space dedicated to high-level scientific research and technological advancement. The Innovation Center leverages its strategic location at the station to attract top-tier resources and focus on rail transit technology research and development.
According to Li Yilei, Chairman and General Manager of Tianjin CRRC Tangshan Rail Transit Technology Co., Ltd., the center's experimental facilities are divided into two sections: a rail transit systems engineering laboratory and an artificial intelligence laboratory. These labs support product development by conducting functional principle verification, software testing, algorithm validation, and fault simulation for rail vehicles, providing technical backing through experimental debugging. Given the rich application scenarios for AI in the rail transit sector, the company is also collaborating with Tianjin Rail Transit Group on AI product development and deployment. For example, in rail inspection scenarios, workers previously had to climb into trenches to work beneath vehicles. Now, with "under-vehicle inspection robots," tasks are automated, reducing labor intensity while boosting efficiency by 30%.
Li Yilei outlined the company's business scope across five main segments. These include: overall urban rail vehicle technology development, covering vehicle scheme design, performance upgrades, pre-sales market expansion, and training; integrated urban rail engineering design, involving turnkey projects and vehicle engineering services; digital R&D and testing, encompassing digital construction services, industrial design, simulation analysis, and inspection; full lifecycle technical services, such as overhaul, intelligent retrofitting, component repair, and extended-life parts; and rail vehicle recycling, which covers decommissioning, material recovery, and remanufacturing of high-value components.
The launch of the Innovation Center provides strong support for the company to integrate its industry chain and establish a high-efficiency platform for product development, technological innovation, and lifecycle services. Looking ahead, Li Yilei said the center will attract more rail transit tech enterprises and supply chain partners, empowering smarter, digital, and greener solutions while strengthening the region's industrial capabilities and Tianjin's rail innovation ecosystem.
Inside the center, the "Rail Magnesium Alloy Application Research Laboratory" is spearheading another major initiative. The goal is to develop the world's first magnesium alloy rail vehicle, making trains lighter, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. Zhao Huan, General Manager of the Industrial Development Group under Tianjin Rail Transit Group, explained that the project aims to replace existing stainless steel and aluminum alloy car bodies with magnesium alloy, achieving weight reduction and lower carbon emissions. Through discussions with partners like CRRC, China Resources Environmental Protection, Chongqing University, and Southwest Jiaotong University, the group has defined the research direction and industrialization strategy for magnesium alloy trains.
The project follows a principle of integrating technological innovation with industrial innovation, progressing through stages of "applying one generation, testing one generation, and researching one generation." Magnesium alloy material development and profile extrusion technology will be conducted in Chongqing, car body design and welding research in Tangshan, and application testing and corrosion prevention in Tianjin. The timeline targets completing magnesium alloy material development by the end of 2027, with non-load-bearing components installed on Tianjin Rail Transit Line 9 trains, reducing weight by 120 kilograms per train. By the end of 2028, secondary load-bearing components will be applied to newly built trains, cutting weight by 3,000 kilograms per train. In the future, the team aims to develop the world's first magnesium alloy rail vehicle, targeting a 15% weight reduction per train, while also establishing a specialized magnesium alloy production line in Tianjin.
Zhao Huan noted that this project will fill the gap in the application of large-scale magnesium alloy structural components in China's rail transit sector, enhancing the self-sufficiency and international competitiveness of lightweight materials. Additionally, the development and application of the first magnesium alloy rail vehicle in Tianjin, along with the establishment of related supporting industries, will drive the growth of the local magnesium alloy sector and support adjacent fields like low-altitude aviation and robotics.
The Innovation Center building encompasses more than 20,800 square meters, with over 10,000 square meters currently in use. As Li Yilei emphasized, the center will capitalize on the "Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei on Tracks" initiative to foster the development and incubation of new rail transit products and technologies, aiming to pilot and promote them first in Tianjin.