Railway employees inspired by president

Workers assemble a train in a factory of CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co in Changchun this month. [Photo by ZHU XINGXIN/CHINA DAILY]

A total of 392 cars will be assembled later in nearby Springfield, Massachusetts, at a subsidiary of CRRC Changchun, a State-owned train manufacturer based in Jilin province.

CRRC Changchun also will provide subway trains for Los Angeles and for Melbourne, Australia.

"We no longer win the deals only with competitive prices, but also with high technology standards and business solutions. We have one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities globally," said Cao Ran, executive vice manager of the overseas business department at CRRC Changchun.

CRRC Changchun is now one of the world's leading railway providers, including bullet trains and multiple electric units, as well as railway cars. It has exported more than 8,000 cars to 22 countries and regions, and signed export contracts worth over $10 billion.

By the end of last year, China had a high-speed railway network of more than 22,000 kilometers, the world's longest system.

On Thursday, the speed of the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway was increased to 350 km/h. The trains, dubbed Fuxing (or rejuvenation), were made by CRRC Changchun, and it owns the intellectual property rights.

In July 2015, President Xi Jinping visited the factory of CRRC Changchun, where he stepped on a train, sat in the cab and listened to the staff talk about their work. Xi said high-speed train manufacturing in China reflects the level of China's equipment manufacturing industry, and it is a beautiful calling card for the equipment manufacturing sector in China.

Chen Xiaomin, secretary of the Party committee of CRRC Changchun, said that in the past two years, the company has been constantly enhancing the quality of its products and mastering more core technologies.

"We have built a new data building and promoted a series of R&D projects. We are expanding our footprint in more countries and regions involved in the Belt and Road Initiative, and many high-end global markets. We have also strengthened our market position in North America."

Li Wanjun, chief electric welder at CRRC Changchun and a model worker in China－an honor given to those who have made significant contributions to the country through their hard work－said he has met Xi four times, and he explained his work when Xi visited the company.

"The high-speed train industry is the most representative industry in China, and the country has supported its growth. As an ordinary craftsman, I have to constantly perfect my skills. If I didn't weld successfully, the impact would be tremendous."

He added that some young people regard welding as difficult and tiring work, and not many are willing to do it. In fact, the company has a comprehensive rewards and promotion program and a lot of training opportunities.