http://epaper.zqrb.cn/html/2020-06/22/content_630780.htm?div=-1

Subway roar past, carrying the development speed of a city and the trips and dreams of tens of millions of people. Even during the busiest morning rush hour in Beijing, the Beijing subway can also run orderly on the high-density track. The first batch of listed companies on the scientific innovation board, Traffic Control Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "TCT") is the founder of the "brains and nerves" of subway.

Working for decades, Gao Chunhai, the Chairman of TCT, thinks he is lucky.

In the long history of rail transit development, the key technology of urban rail transit signaling system in China was once subject to foreign monopoly. "Now, we have not only solved the bottlenecks. Our 5th generation urban rail signaling system has really reached the international technology level." Recently, Gao Chunhai told the reporter of Securities Daily in the Chairman office of TCT.

Catch up with international giants in 20 years

Gao Chunhai’s office has simple layout, with different train models in different times on the top of the bookcase against wall. On the other side of the wall, there is an eye-catching plaque with four Chinese characters, meaning "lofty ambition".

As soon as the reporter took his seat, Gao Chunhai introduced that for a long time in the past, the key technologies of rail transit signaling system were only owned by Germany, France and Canada. Foreign companies such as Siemens, Alstom and Thales monopolized the global market, which have a history of hundred years. In contrast, China is occupied in the core technology of rail transit signaling system only for 20 years.

"We spent 20 years doing what others spent 50 years doing." Gao Chunhai told reporters, "Foreigners work six hours a day but I work 16 hours a day. We should use the efforts of one generation to obtain the opportunity for the next generation to stand on the same starting line with developed countries."

Gao Chunhai said that CBTC system is known as the smartest "brain" of rail transit, which can ensure that trains run at the minimum safe interval and achieve the maximum transportation capacity. As early as 2002, the introduction of this system in China has cost hundreds of millions of RMB. As far as 2010, CBTC systems and core equipment for more than 98% new or reconstructed lines in Beijing and even the whole country still rely on imports. "Construction and operation and maintenance even cost more. At that time, the international CBTC system was not mature, and it often took several months to repair a fault part." Gao Chunhai told the Securities Daily, "bottleneck is the current saying, which was called ‘paying for suffering’ at that time.”

Since 2000, domestic rail transit has developed rapidly, and the import demand has also increased significantly. A large number of projects and procurement didn’t decrease the average cost of imported procurement. Gao Chunhai said, "Foreigners will not improve efficiency or expand scale to meet our needs, and a lot of extra fees will be added on the original basis. This is the bottleneck, which restricted us significantly at that time. “Speaking of the situation, Gao Chunhai was still a little indignant, "at that time, the cost of our labor was getting lower and lower, but the cost for importing equipment was getting higher and higher. The price of spare parts for subsequent operation and maintenance will be even 10 to 20 times the original price, which we can only accept".

Gao Chunhai understands that if our rail transit wants fast development, we must have our own core technologies.

In 2000, Gao Chunhai’s team undertook the major scientific project - "research and development of train automatic control system of urban rail transit", which is also the first research and development of CBTC signaling system on the basis of extensive data collection and field investigation in China. At the end of 2008, Gao Chunhai’s team completed the independent development of CBTC engineering prototype. In the following year, TCT was officially established. TCT, under leadership of Gao Chunhai, undertook the first CBTC system demonstration project with independent intellectual property in China - Beijing Yizhuang line.

At the end of 2010, Yizhuang line was officially put into operation. This is the first subway line in China to adopt the core technology of train control system with completely independent intellectual property, which is able to achieve "automatic driving", "accurate parking" and "safe operation". This means that our CBTC system has finally broken the foreign technology blockade and realized import substitution.

In the years when TCT was promoting the independent development of rail transit signaling system, the price of CBTC system has been decreased from 13 million yuan/km to 8 million yuan/km approximately. Today, TCT has not only broken the technical monopoly of the 3th generation (CBTC system) and the 4th generation (FAO driverless system) urban rail signaling system in 20 years, but also the 5th generation urban rail signaling system (VBTC system) developed by TCT has caught up the international level.

"Based on the theoretical basis of the previous generation’s research, combined with the current development opportunity, our independent urban rail transit system can finally and successfully develop rapidly. Now young people of 1990s are also gradually joining in. The conversion rate of scientific achievements is constantly improved through cooperation with some universities."

Incent talents and encourage innovation

On July 22, 2019, as one of the first batch of listed companies on the scientific innovation board, TCT officially landed in the capital market; on June 19, 2020, Shanghai Stock Exchange issued the announcement of the 50 constituent index of scientific innovation board, and TCT became the first batch of index constituent stocks.

"In China, eventually there is such a platform like the scientific innovation board, which can really value the efforts of our researchers who have worked for half or even a lifetime." Speaking of the changes of the year, Gao Chunhai was very excited, "For our researchers, the company’s landing on the scientific innovation board means that many of our research values have finally been recognized, and everyone is very proud of that."

On June 9, 2020, TCT unveiled the list of incentive objects of the 2020 restricted stock incentive plan, in which 21 top-performing executives and employees were included. "This is just the beginning. In the future, the company will continue to use the equity incentive plan to attract and retain talents." Gao Chunhai told reporters that by means of the scientific innovation board, we can really encourage and retain talents who have common values, mission and vision with the enterprise through equity incentive, so that employees are willing to turn their work into a long-term career and grow up together with the enterprise.

In order to develop talents, Gao Chunhai made more efforts: fund employees for further studies; build more development platforms for employees; set error-tolerant rate and encourage employees to be bold in innovation; cooperate with universities and set up scholarships and internships to attract talents in advance.

"Successfully landing on the scientific innovation board, TCT raised RMB 585 million. Partial fund is used for the development of the 5th generation urban rail signaling system to improve our core technology." Gao Chunhai told reporters that in addition, a research institute has been established to work on the cutting-edge technologies, encourage innovation and make space for researchers to study "unreliable things".

Gao Chunhai has been on the go in recent years, participating in industry discussions and exchange. "Now I have also got a trick, i.e., one generation of research, one generation of development and one generation of application. The company always owns three generations of systems." Gao Chunhai further said that if profitability is used for classification, the generation of research refers to researching projects that cannot be profitable in a short time; the generation of development refers to developing projects that will be profitable soon; the generation of application refers to improving projects that have been profitable.

Now, TCT has implemented this idea into their operation system. Gao Chunhai told reporters that a research institute has been established and young postdoctors and system engineers who are most sensitive to the most cutting-edge high-tech have been joined in to study what they still feel "unreliable" several decades later and grasp the opportunities for future development; in terms of development, guide the R&D based on accurate user demands, customize products according to user demands, and promote the upgrading of system products; in terms of application, in addition to the system design and engineering management, improving user experience, enhancing travel efficiency and reducing costs shall also be concerned.

In Gao Chunhai’s view, only in this way can enterprises have longer-term advantages and competitiveness.

Golden Age for Gold-digger

In April this year, TCT unveiled the first annual report after its listing. Data shows that TCT realized PATMI (profit after tax and minority interests) of RMB 127 million last year, a year-on-year increase of 91.72%, exceeding market expectations. "The current economic environment is helpful for the development of the industry, and our development direction is also very consistent with the development strategy of country strength by transportation and new infrastructure". Speaking of the future development, Gao Chunhai is quite confident, "our urban rail transit is exploring more new modes, and the company is also digging in this golden age."

In March this year, the online sensation, the window of Beijing Metro Line 6, once flooded the WeChat moments. It is known that the LED screen is installed at the position above the gangaway, above the door and at the middle window of subway. After the subway departs, the window will become a 55 inch semitransparent electronic screen, which will display the current position of the train, the network diagram and the three-dimensional schematic diagram of the station ahead, on which the positions of service facilities such as exits, elevators and toilets are also clear at a glance. In addition, the train can also realize "Networking", to perform train level information transmission through wireless ad-hoc network. This is the "Magic Window" system jointly developed by Beijing Subway and TCT.

"The future rail transit will no longer be a simple means of transportation, but pay more attention to the passenger experience." According to Gao Chunhai, the unexpected popularity of "Magic Window" means the expectation of passengers on the development of urban rail transit.

Gao Chunhai said, "as the leader of urban rail signaling system, TCT is most concerned about the travel safety of hundreds of millions of passengers every year. Additionally, the company will be committed to improving the subway travel efficiency, reducing transfer time, improving travel speed and passengers travel comfort. TCT is also developing the "Android system" - Tianshu platform of rail transit to facilitate the information sharing of various professional systems, so as to improve efficiency and reduce cost for subway operators."

Speaking of opportunities brought by the strategy of country strength by transportation and the new infrastructure development, Gao Chunhai said that the future development direction of our rail transit is urbanization and regional economy. The "integration" of main lines, intercity railway, urban (suburban) railway and urban rail transit will bring more imagination to this industry. "Rail transit is a gold mine. Every rail transit line is a long-lasting project, which is rarely out of date. Operation, maintenance and reconstruction are always in need. Since we are involving in this gold mine, we must dig deep all the time.

Side by side with international giants, TCT didn’t stop racing ahead. The reporter visited the official website of TCT and found that the company’s vision is that "TCT serves revitalizing the safety control system industry and become a multinational enterprise with Chinese national spirit".

"At the present time, the gold mine of rail transit is ushering in its golden age. In the next 10 to 15 years, rail transit will also maintain rapid development." Gao Chunhai said, "this period will be the best opportunity for us to carry out technology iteration and innovative application. During this period, TCT will, making use of the policy advantages of the new infrastructure, strive to improve the technology of the urban rail signaling system by another generation or two, to be on the top of the international market."