On May 24, groundbreaking ceremony of High-speed Flying Train Shanxi Laboratory and Datong (Yanggao) Test Line Project was held in Datong City, Shanxi Province.
Lou Yangsheng, Secretary of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and Director of the Standing Committee of the Provincial People's Congress, Yuan Jie, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and President of CASIC, Zhang Jifu, Member of the Standing Committee of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and Secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee, Li Fengqi, Member of the Standing Committee of Shanxi Provincial Party Committee and Secretary General, Gong Bo, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy General Manager, Zhang Qiang, Deputy Secretary of Datong Municipal Party Committee and Mayor and other leaders attended the event.
During the event, Shanxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology introduced the construction of High-speed Flying Train Shanxi Laboratory, North University of China introduced the project construction, the CASIC Maglev and Electromagnetic Propulsion Technical General Department introduced the pilot base planning for the test line of low-vacuum tube ultra high-speed maglev transportation, and Shanxi Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. reported the project implementation. Lou Yangsheng and Yuan Jie jointly inaugurated the laboratory and carried out foundation stone laying for the test line project.
Yuan Jie pointed out that the CASIC is the backbone of China's aerospace industry and the main force in the construction of major power in space and the construction of national defense weaponry. As a strategic, high-tech, national innovative enterprise, CASIC always adheres to the core value of "national interests above all else", takes "empowering the army with science and technology and serving the nation with aerospace technology" as its mission, and takes the strategic goal of "serving the national strategy, the national defense construction, the national economy and people's livelihood" to focus on its main responsibilities and fulfill its primary responsibility of strengthening the military. At the same time, CASIC actively undertakes the responsibility of developing national strategic science and technology, focuses on key core technology research and collaborative industrial development, vigorously promotes commercial spaceflight to play a leading role in the new economic model, and a number of major commercial space projects implemented have achieved promising results in the 13th Five-Year Plan. CASIC is willing to cooperate with Shanxi Province and use the Datong test line as a carrier to jointly build a major scientific infrastructure that meets the national strategic needs and contribute wisdom and strength build China into a strong power in science and technology, transportation and aerospace as proposed by General Secretary Xi Jinping.
On behalf of the provincial Party committee, Lou Yangsheng expressed congratulations on the groundbreaking of High-speed Flying Train Shanxi Laboratory and Datong (Yanggao) Test Line Project, and expressed gratitude to the hard work of the CASIC in related parties. He pointed out that the joint development and testing of high-speed flying trains is another strategic initiative of Shanxi Province and CASIC to jointly implement the important instructions given by the General Secretary Xi Jinping during his visit to Shanxi, and the two sides share the same vision and objective. He stressed that the high-speed flying train project is a disruptive, iconic test project of strategic significance, will form a truly world-class modern three-dimensional integrated transportation system with aviation, high-speed rail once completed successfully, and will contribute to the construction of transportation, and the transformation and development of Shanxi. Lou Yangsheng put forward four hopes for the laboratory: to experiment with the scientific spirit, to empower the transformation and development, to set a benchmark for the R&D system, and to become a model for central enterprise and local government cooperation. Then, Lou Yangsheng announced the "commencement of High-speed Flying Train Shanxi Laboratory and Datong (Yanggao) Test Line Project".
Low-vacuum tube ultra high-speed maglev transportation system (high-speed flying train) can significantly reduce air resistance and noise through low vacuum tube, eliminate frictional resistance using maglev, and enable controlled acceleration and deceleration during the whole process using electromagnetic propulsion, to achieve ultra-high speed "near earth flight" with a maximum speed of 1000km/h. Based on the advanced aerospace technologies mastered by CASIC, CASIC formally planned and actively advanced the high-speed flying train project in 2017, and has solidly promoted key technology research and development over the past few years and made milestone progress. The Outline for the Construction of a Strong Transportation Country issued by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council has included the low vacuum tube (tunnel) high speed trains in the technology reserve research and development.
The high-speed flying train project has received great attention and support from the Shanxi provincial government. The CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee's Proposal on the Formulation of the 14th Five-year Plan and the 2035 Vision for National Economic and Social Development clearly proposed, "to build a modern comprehensive transportation system, accelerate the construction of the maglev project in Shanxi transformation comprehensive reform demonstration area; advance the planning and layout of new infrastructure, and further plan major science and technology infrastructures like ultra-high-speed low-vacuum maglev and electromagnetic propulsion scientific experiment facility."
Datong (Yanggao) test line, as an important part of the ultra-high-speed low-vacuum maglev and electromagnetic propulsion scientific experiment facility, and undertaken by the High-speed Flying Train Shanxi Laboratory jointly with CASIC Third Academy of CASIC, North University of China, Shanxi Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. and other domestic units with technical edges, is China's first full scale test line for ultra-high-speed low-vacuum tube maglev transportation under construction, and is an important milestone for building China into a strong country in transportation and science and technology.
Secretary of the Board of Directors of the CASIC, leaders of relevant departments at the headquarters and the Third Academy of CASIC, leaders of North University of China, Shanxi Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. and other units attended the event.
