THE importance of English as a medium of instruction has been long recognised by the Liuzhou Railway Vocational Technical College (LRVTC) in Guangxi where Malaysian and other nationals have been trained the past five years.
Not in Chinese although the host nation could choose to do so since it developed the technology that is now put to use in many countries.
“Our objective is to help the talents of our Southeast Asian neighbours learn all the essential skills of operating railways.
“Once these workers are skilled enough, they could adjust themselves to serve in their countries’ situations,” President cum LRVTC Principal Qin Haibo told visiting journalists, including
Daily Express.
Founded in 1956, Qin explained that the Liuzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College is a public general higher school managed by Liuzhou Municipal People’s Government and the Education Department of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
“Liuzhou Railway Vocational and Technical College is a leading rail transit higher vocational college here in Southwest China with over 12,000 students.
“Our goal is to develop versatile talent in smart rail operations and high-speed rail engineering, strengthening bilateral relations through shared expertise.”
Qin said that the college adheres to the principle of establishing morality as the foundation, quality improvement as the goal, industry characteristics as the support, and reform and innovation as the driving force.
The college has gradually formed railway transportation, urban rail transportation, electronic information, automobiles and machinery.
Some 68 Malaysian trainees at LRVTC, contracted to work at Malaysia’s East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) are currently learning the ropes on high-speed rail in English, although Umno ultras back home may be disappointed.
Most of the students are Malay youths from various states in Peninsular Malaysia, together with one Malaysian Indian trainee.
All of them said they also picked up some Mandarin. Amirul Shafiq, a technical diploma graduate of Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL), hoped to learn more hand-on skills on railway engineering and maintenance at LRVTC to work for the ECRL starting in 2027.
He was in a group of trainees learning under the supervision of teacher Zhang Houwei to measure the wear-and-tear of railway wheels which is crucial to prevent derailment incidents.
Daily Express: “Teacher Zhang, can you explain what you were teaching the trainees just now in English?”
Zhang: “To measure the dimension of the train wheels with this instrument. Train wheels are subject to wear and tear.
“They can get thinner. We measure them as part of the maintenance schedule to ascertain when the wheels need to be replaced for safety against derailment risk.”
In the railway industry, precise wheel diameter measurements ensure operational efficiency and safety. Train wheel inspection is a crucial process that ensures rail operations’ safety, efficiency, and longevity. Since train wheels endure continuous wear, extreme loads, and frictional forces, regular inspections help detect early signs of failure, preventing accidents and costly repairs.
Ensuring the safety and efficiency of rail operations depends heavily on accurate train wheel inspection. With frequent wear and exposure to high loads, train wheels must be thoroughly examined to detect defects early.
Various tools and systems play a crucial role in this process, from traditional methods to advanced automated technologies.
Zhang showed one of the measuring gauges to
Daily Express. He explained that there are five levels of maintenance.
Level 1 entails inspection from every two days to a week on train wheels.
Training sessions covered critical skills such as track maintenance, ultrasonic testing, and the intricacies of modern locomotive propulsion and braking systems.
Zhang concurred that his job would be easier if all trains in the future would be operated like Shanghai’s magnetic levitation train system.
Zhang: “Yes, maglev (short for magnetic levitation) train does not use wheels.”
Maglev is a transportation system that utilizes magnetic forces to lift and propel trains along a guideway. Unlike traditional trains that rely on wheels and tracks, maglev trains float above the track.
This eliminates rolling resistance and enables much higher speeds. It has been commercialised for use since 1984.
Simulators to train drivers
ON the third floor of LRVTC, the visiting media was shown simulators to train drivers for high-speed trains, signalling procedures, railway system control and traffic management etc. Daily Express took the opportunity to interview trainee Amirul.
DE: “Are you coping well with your training and living conditions here?”
Amirul: “Yes, I am used to it now.”
DE: “Do you know your future salary structure working as an engineer at ECRL?”
Amirul: “Yes, starting from RM2,800 to RM3,500.”
DE: “Are you satisfied with the lifestyle and social interaction conditions with other students, halal food availability here in China?”
Amirul: “Yes, the food here is different. I meant it in a good way.”
DE: “Were you able to fulfil your religious obligations?”
Amirul: “Yes, on Fridays, we get time off to go to the nearby mosque to join the local Muslims for prayers.”
DE: “Do you know of anyone who was unhappy and had quit the training internship to return to Malaysia?”
Amirul: “No, no one has dropped out so far.”
He said and his colleagues were the second batch of trainees from Malaysia to hone their talents at LRVTC.
Their families can visit them in China and they can go back to Malaysia for any family emergency matters.
‘Give East Malaysians same skills training opportunity’
THE visit to Liuzhou was more than an educational endeavour; it was a glimpse into the future of transportation and industrial innovation.
As Malaysia embarks on transformative projects like the ECRL, the knowledge shared by LRVTC and the industrial advancements witnessed in Liuzhou will play a crucial role in shaping Malaysia’s infrastructure landscape.
With plans for a Pan-Borneo railway system, it is hoped that youths from East Malaysia are also accorded such training opportunities in China to build up skilled human capital to meet the needs of future rail infrastructure developments.
The Sabah Railway Department can also send staff with a view for future cooperation as the West Coast track railway wooden sleepers in Sabah were replaced with concrete sleepers by a China company in the recent past.
According to Malaysia Rail Link Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Darwis Abdul Razak, advanced ECLR electric locomotives are set to begin commercial operations in January 2027 to transport cargo along the route, besides the Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains that would transport passengers from Kota Baru, Kelantan to Port Klang, Selangor.
The LRVTC training programme links theoretical knowledge directly to the practical needs of ECRL’s on-the-job training. Since 2023, LRVTC has partnered with Malaysian institutions and the State-owned China Communications Construction to create a China-Malaysia railway modern craftsman college, advancing technical research, skill training, and talent development during the construction of ECRL.
