In March, four students from our university’s Transportation System Engineering degree programme immersed themselves in a world of technological contrasts and cultural diversity. Accompanied by Prof. Christian Liebchen, a one-week intensive course took them to Beijing, where academic exchange at Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU) was combined with impressive sightseeing highlights.

Between high-speed trains and World Heritage sites

The trip began with an excursion that immediately put the group’s transport engineering expertise to the test: a journey by high-speed train took the students from the capital straight to the Great Wall of China. Particularly impressive was the journey through the world’s deepest high-speed railway station, from where a cable car took them up to the historic fortifications. The first few days also offered time for culinary experiments, during which the students managed to use chopsticks surprisingly well even without any prior experience.

Academic exchange and international networking

The focus of the trip was on collaboration with Beijing Jiaotong University. In joint courses, the Wildau students worked alongside their Chinese peers on complex issues in modern transport planning. A key topic was the synchronisation of underground timetables – an area of vital importance in a megacity such as Beijing.

The students reported on their first experiences in the lecture theatre:

“Monday and Tuesday were our first ‘university days’ with a lecture by Prof. Liebchen. There were around 25 students from Beijing Jiaotong University in the lecture theatre with us. Thanks to the tasks set by Prof. Liebchen alongside the lecture, we quickly established contact with the Chinese students. On both afternoons, the programme consisted of sightseeing and cultural activities. Following the cultural visit to the Lama Temple, we went on an excursion to take in the view of Beijing’s impressive skyline.”

Cultural programme: From the Forbidden City to Peking duck

Alongside the academic content, the programme offered opportunities to explore the historical and modern facets of Beijing. From Tiananmen Square – which, for once, was almost deserted – to the Forbidden City and Jingshan Park with its view over the city, the group experienced the impressive scale of the Chinese capital.

“The lecture-free Wednesday was our ‘culture day’. First, we visited the almost empty Tiananmen Square. We then went with a tour guide to the ‘Forbidden City’ or the Palace Museum. We particularly enjoyed the garden of the only emperor of the Qing Dynasty to have voluntarily abdicated. Finally, we went to Jingshan Park, located north of the Forbidden City, which offered a fantastic view from its coal hill. The day ended with a meal together with representatives from BJTU, including the Vice-Dean for Internationalisation of the School of Traffic and Transportation, and a traditional dish: Peking duck.”

In-depth technical study for the degree

The final days of the trip were entirely devoted to project work. In mixed teams, the framework conditions for optimising the timetable at selected interchange stations were analysed and presented.

“On the penultimate day, together with our Chinese fellow students, we presented a total of ten underground stations from Berlin and Beijing to one another. There were some remarkable differences to discover; in Beijing, for example, ‘one-way streets’ for passengers changing trains. Following the lectures, there was another cultural programme, including a visit to the Beijing Zoo with its aquarium, the Temple of Heaven, Beihai Park and the TV Tower.”

The students returned to Wildau with a wealth of new impressions, specialist insights into high-speed infrastructure and new international contacts. The excursion once again highlights how important it is to think outside the box when it comes to the mobility solutions of tomorrow.

The four students from Wildau, together with Chinese students, examined interchange stations in the Beijing and Berlin underground networks with a view to optimising timetables. How did you find the dynamics within this international group, and what professional insights were both sides able to gain from one another?

Christian Liebchen: “It was wonderful to see that this kind of group work acted as an ‘ice-breaker’. Beyond working together and presenting in the seminar room, some of them even arranged to meet outside of class hours. From a technical perspective, significant structural differences became apparent regarding the lengths of walking routes when changing trains and service frequencies.”

China is regarded as a pioneer in high-speed infrastructure. Which technical aspect – for example, during the visit to the world’s deepest high-speed railway station – amazed your students the most?

Simon Dähnick: “The high-speed railway station was, of course, particularly impressive. It was built over 100 metres deep inside the mountain. The generously proportioned access routes to and from the platforms were also designed to be larger than what we are used to in Germany, in line with demand. Road traffic was also interesting. This concerned, on the one hand, the high volume of traffic and, on the other, a slightly different approach to traffic management. Also worth mentioning is the high proportion of electric vehicles on the roads. Without the honking, it would have been even quieter on the streets.”

Beijing is a laboratory for mobility on a gigantic scale. In your opinion, which insights from the transport planning there can be applied (perhaps on a smaller scale) to the challenges in our region or in Germany?

Christian Liebchen: “When I visited Beijing for the first two times less than eight years ago, car traffic was already very heavy – back then still predominantly powered by combustion engines – and smog was the defining impression, albeit possibly coincidentally exacerbated by weather conditions. These days, electric powertrains clearly have the upper hand, and during my last three visits, smog was never an issue. A consistent policy shift has clearly had an effect here, which I would have liked to see more of in Germany recently. In addition, however, the underground network is very well developed, covering more than 900 kilometres. With services running every two minutes in many places, it offers attractive journey times and, in combination with long trains, is truly a high-performance network.”

Alongside the lectures, there was plenty of scope for culture, from the Forbidden City to shared meals. Why is this cultural exchange also important for the training of future engineers today, beyond mere technical instruction?

Christian Liebchen: “There are many dimensions to this. Beyond broadening personal horizons and fostering international understanding, the global economy is, as we know, becoming increasingly interconnected. China, in particular, has developed over the past decades into a nation of great importance, especially in the field of transport sciences. Beyond potential consultancy projects there, the INNOTRANS trade fair, which is taking place again this year, will once more impressively demonstrate that Chinese companies are becoming increasingly active in the European transport market. Having already gained their own experiences at an intercultural level can, in this respect, also open up future career opportunities for our students.”

Looking back on the week in Beijing: which moment most clearly showed you that such international excursions broaden your horizons in the long term?

Simon Dähnick: “Not least through our daily routine and the tasks we worked on in groups with Chinese students, we noticed how different similar transport systems can be in detail in other countries. For example, the platform edges in Beijing are protected by a glass wall, which is not the case in Berlin. Many thanks to everyone who helped organise the block course in China and made our participation there possible, both in Wildau and in Beijing.”