Students at Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology are the first in China to be able to study the real world of mass transit at their own on-campus, purpose built railway line, complete with a fully function-ng metro carriage, at a cost of ¥13 million.
It was on 13 October that the polytechnic opened its doors for reporters to showcase the new highlight of its campus that is purposed as a learning resource for students in the university’s School of Transportation Engineering.
The metro car sits on a 108-metre length of track, with a platform at one end and a maintenance pit at the other. Power for the vehicle is delivered via an overhead catenary, while the track also includes a set of switchable points, reports The Paper.
While many polytechnics in China use simulated metro cars for teaching, Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology opted for the real thing in order to realise a seamless connection between learning and doing.
To date, more than 600 teachers and students have taken classes in the car, and their response has been very favourable. A reporter noted that the students appear to take their studies in the car more seriously than in a traditional classroom.
Student Zhao Xinxin, who majors in Urban Rail Transit Mechanical & Electrical Technology, and shall graduate next year, spoke to Modern Express. “I didn’t expect that in the last year, I could still catch up with classes in a real metro car”, Zhao said.
“I am very lucky and cherish the opportunity of every class. Students do not hesitate to spend significant amounts on the real-car teaching”.
But building a real metro line, no matter its length, on a university campus, was a formidable challenge; the project required six rounds of certification before being able to proceed. Construction took some 3 years, while the vehicle itself was built by CRRC Sifang Rolling Stock in Qingdao, using a design based on that for vehicles on Zhengzhou Metro Line 4.
By their their nature, polytechnics place greater emphasis on the teaching of practical skills. With the ability to get their hands on a real live metro car, students at Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology have a head start on their classmates anywhere else in the country, placing them in good stead for a prosperous and rewarding career.
