The development history of Lanzhou Jiaotong University is a history of struggle dedicated to serving the nation through education, with firm conviction.

In 1958, following the national layout for railway construction and higher education development, it was decided to establish the third railway undergraduate institution of China in Lanzhou — Lanzhou Railway Institute. The institute was formed by the systematic relocation of core departments from Beijing Railway Institute (now Beijing Jiaotong University) and Tangshan Railway Institute (now Southwest Jiaotong University) to Lanzhou. Answering the nation's call was their mission. In the early days of the institution, over 340 renowned scholars and experts from Beijing and Tangshan, represented by leading railway experts such as Lin Damei, Shen Zhiyang, Hu Chunnong, Sun Qiyin, and Zhang Dianzhi, heeded the Party's call, fueled by patriotic fervor, took root in the Northwest, and worked hard under arduous conditions. They instilled the century-old Jiaotong tradition of "Two Strictnesses" — rigorous scholarship and stringent requirements — into the educational ethos, laying the foundation for the university's distinctive focus on rail transportation. In the new era, the university actively aligns with major national strategies such as building a country with strong transportation network and the Belt and Road Initiative. It actively participates in the construction of the pilot zone for revitalizing higher education in central and western China, proactively serves the "Four Strengths" action, and provides high-quality talent and intellectual support for realizing Chinese modernization.

Over the years, generations of LZJTU people have consistently practiced the university motto "Pursue Virtue, Encourage Ambition, Seek Knowledge, and Practice Earnestly" and upheld the ethos "Be Diligent and Upward-striving, Hardworking and Plain-living, Assiduous in Study, and Rigorous in Scholarship." The university has successfully joined the ranks of institutions co-constructed by the provincial and ministerial authorities, gradually evolving into a higher education institution with distinctive industry characteristics, outstanding capabilities in serving local development, a renowned reputation domestically, and an irreplaceable role in rail transportation construction and operation maintenance in Northwest China.

Shaping a New Generation for the Era through Inheriting and Promoting Our Spirit

The older generation of educators at the university took root in the Northwest to embark on their pioneering journey. They were the founders and builders of the disciplinary system, establishing the framework of academic disciplines and majors that laid a solid foundation for the university's distinctive development. They were the leaders and practitioners in setting research directions; outstanding scientific research achievements, such as the application of computer technology in railway transportation, key technologies in track structure and line maintenance, and key technologies in wired communication, established the fine tradition of "scientific research serving the industry." They were the shapers and promoters of the spiritual tradition. The qualities they demonstrated – "taking root in the Northwest, working hard and enduring hardships, maintaining rigorous scholarship, and being willing to serve as stepping stones for others" – constitute the university's profound cultural heritage and distinct bloodline, forming its most precious spiritual wealth.

The university is fully committed to building cultural education pathways that embody transportation and industry characteristics and highlight its educational heritage. Relying on educational platforms such as the university history museum, the National Railway Science Popularization Base, and the National Beidou Science Popularization Base, it deeply integrates the red genes of the "Western Relocation Spirit" and the "Tian You Spirit," constructing a comprehensive education system that concurrently develops six types of courses: ideological and political theory courses, advisory courses for Party and league activities, courses permeating professional education, courses edifying through campus culture, collaborative education courses involving "teaching-management-service," and the president's public lectures. By creating an integrated curriculum system combining ideology and innovation, establishing borderless ideological and political mega-classes, carrying out practical activities at red education bases, and organizing series of events such as the "Ideological and Political Mega-Class," "College Students Teach Ideological and Political Theory Open Classes," and the "Large-Scale Original Scenario Series Drama," the inheritance of spirit is internalized into the conscious action of teachers and students to love the railway industry, take root in the western region, and serve the country. In recent years, the university has achieved notable recognition: one teaching team was designated as a "National Huang Danian-style Teacher Team," the university was selected as a "Gansu Provincial Model University for Curriculum-based Ideological and Political Education," three individuals were shortlisted as "National College Student Figures of the Year," and it has received 17 national and provincial/ministerial honors, including the National Railway May Fourth Red Flag Youth League Committee, the Railway Youth May Fourth Medal, the National Railway Outstanding Communist Youth League Cadre, and the Gansu Provincial Committee Advanced Primary-Level Party Organization (Party Branch). Additionally, four alumni have been awarded the title of "National Model Worker," nine alumni have received the "National May First Labor Medal" or "National March 8th Red-Banner Pacesetter" titles, and one alumnus was honored as one of the "Top Ten Figures of Chinese Strength of the Year 2023."

Building a High Ground for Talent Cultivation in Serving the Construction of a Strong Transportation Nation

For 67 years since its establishment, Lanzhou Jiaotong University has shouldered the historical mission of cultivating senior specialized talents for Northwest China's railway construction, witnessing and participating in the development and evolution of railway construction in China, especially in the northwestern region. The university boasts 1 national-level teaching team, 4 national-level experimental teaching demonstration centers, 1 national-level virtual simulation experimental teaching demonstration center, and 11 national-level engineering practice education centers. It has cultivated nearly 300,000 outstanding talents, represented by Academician Lai Yuanming of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xi Beidou, Chief Scientist of the Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, earning the reputation as the "Cradle of Chinese Railway Engineers," fully demonstrating its irreplaceable role in cultivating high-level specialized talents in the western region.

Holding the Frontline in Talent Cultivation for the Industry. The university closely aligns with the demand for innovative talents under the national strategy of building a strong transportation country. It has strategically launched cutting-edge programs in artificial intelligence, big data, and the low-altitude economy, promoting the deep integration of program construction. It has established a talent cultivation system that spans the entire domain from transport organization to operation and maintenance, features multiple models including excellence in advantaged engineering, distinctiveness in rail transit, excellence in fundamental disciplines, and innovative talent cultivation, and covers all levels from vocational education to postgraduate education, tailored to the realities of the western rail transit sector. In recent years, substantive results have been achieved in the joint undergraduate cultivation with partner support universities Tianjin University, Beijing Jiaotong University, and Southwest Jiaotong University. Graduates from four programs – Transport Engineering, Railway Engineering, Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation, and Architecture – can receive diplomas and degree certificates bearing the seals of both Lanzhou Jiaotong University and the partner university. The university has optimized the "Dual Supervisor" system for postgraduate training, proactively connected with key industry enterprises and institutions, established joint postgraduate training bases, and achieved results in high-quality education. It has led or participated in establishing 5 industry-education integration communities. All 15 programs corresponding to the Transportation Engineering discipline have passed engineering education professional accreditation, granting mutual recognition of qualifications with the 21 member countries of the Washington Accord. The university has won 4 Second Prizes of the National Teaching Achievement Award, secured 22 national-level first-class courses and 27 national-level first-class undergraduate program construction sites, with all 22 advantaged and distinctive programs related to rail transit being selected. Annually, about 40% of graduates sign employment contracts within the rail transit industry, and they are highly favored by leading and large enterprises for being "retainable, readily applicable, and performing well."

Strengthening the Important Base for Cultivating Talents for the Regional Economy and Society. The university closely focuses on the needs of the Western Development Strategy, the regional economy, and emerging industries for innovative talents. It has built five "1+X" advantaged and distinctive professional clusters – Intelligent Rail Transit, Intelligent Construction, New Energy and Equipment Manufacturing, Resources and Environment, and Electronic Information – as well as programs for future-oriented emerging industries. The university actively promotes disciplinary competitions, winning over 1,300 national-level awards in the past five years. These include 1 Gold, 3 Silvers, and 23 Bronzes in the final of the China International College Students' Innovation Competition. It has been approved as a Gansu Provincial "Emerging Engineering Education" construction university and has 9 "Emerging Engineering Education" and "Emerging Arts Education" demonstration programs. Annually, 80% of the university's graduates take root in grassroots positions, over 60% proactively choose to serve the economic construction and social development of Northwest China, and among these, over 25% remain in Gansu Province, becoming backbone forces for regional industrial upgrading and economic development.

Promoting the Breakthrough Project of First-Class Disciplines in Serving the Western Revitalization

Implementing the national breakthrough project for first-class disciplines in Transportation Engineering is an important mission entrusted to the university by the provincial Party committee and government, as well as a significant opportunity to accelerate the development of a high-level university. Leveraging the advantage of being the only first-level doctoral program in Transportation Engineering across the six provinces and autonomous regions of Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet, the discipline emphasizes both theory and technology, integrates management with service, and has assembled a high-level talent team. It has strengthened disciplinary platforms, achieving fruitful results in scientific research and talent cultivation, with the quality of student intake and domestic and international influence steadily increasing year by year.

The entire university is mobilized to build first-class disciplines. By integrating and establishing the distinctive Transportation Department under the "Smart + Transportation" framework, adhering to the philosophy of deepening theory, refining technology, meticulous management, and intelligent service, and closely aligning with the geographical characteristics and transportation development needs of the six western provinces, the university has developed several distinctive disciplinary directions. These include the theory and technology of transportation system optimization, performance enhancement and service safety of transportation infrastructure in Northwest China, dynamics and intelligent operation and maintenance of rail transit equipment systems, rail transit information and communication technology, safety control and intelligent operation and maintenance of rail transit trains, theories and technologies of transportation surveying and mapping information in cold and arid regions, and green, low-carbon construction and operation and maintenance of transportation engineering. The breakthrough project for first-class disciplines has passed the annual assessment by the provincial Department of Education with high quality for two consecutive years. Academicians and experts from the Transportation Engineering Discipline Review Group unanimously agree that the overall construction level of the university's Transportation Engineering discipline is approaching the national "Double First-Class" standard. Adhering steadfastly to the overarching goal of building first-class disciplines, the university focuses on key breakthroughs to drive overall improvement and advances the construction of domestic and provincial first-class disciplines in a tiered manner. Four disciplines—Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science, and Environment & Ecology—have entered the top 1% of ESI global rankings. The number of first-level doctoral programs has increased to seven, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in doctoral professional degree authorization. In the "2025 Soft Science Ranking of Best Disciplines in China," six disciplines—Transportation Engineering, Civil Engineering, Surveying and Mapping Science and Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science and Technology, and Electrical Engineering—were listed, reflecting a steady rise in the overall disciplinary strength.

Relying on 83 provincial and ministerial-level research platforms, including three national-level platforms such as the "National Engineering Technology Research Center for Green Coating Technology and Equipment," the university focuses on the national strategy of building a strong transportation sector and the development of transportation in Gansu. It tackles key technological challenges in areas such as intelligent rail transit, major railway engineering projects, low-altitude economy and technology, and green, smart road transportation. The university has participated in scientific research for over a hundred major domestic and international railway projects, including the Qinghai-Tibet, Sichuan-Tibet, Lanzhou-Xinjiang, Lanzhou-Chongqing, Baoji-Lanzhou, Longhai, Zhongwei-Lanzhou, China-Laos, Jakarta-Bandung, Hungary-Serbia, Addis Ababa-Djibouti, and Mombasa-Nairobi railways. It provides technical expertise, planning and design, and consulting services for Gansu to improve its railway network, densify its highway network, and optimize transportation systems in metropolitan areas and urban clusters. The university has addressed issues related to multi-scale representation of railway transportation geographic information and achieved a series of landmark scientific research results in the construction, operation, and maintenance of railways in plateau, high-cold, and high-seismic-intensity regions. Actively serving the "Four Strengths" initiative, the university leverages its profound foundation in basic research and interdisciplinary advantages in areas such as new energy, new materials, ecological protection of the Yellow River Basin, biopesticides, saline-alkali land improvement, and traditional industrial upgrading. This has led to outstanding scientific research achievements, including ultra-high-performance concrete lightweight paving materials, high-precision BeiDou monitoring technology, high-efficiency solar materials, and the world's first 50 MW molten salt linear Fresnel solar thermal power generation system connected to the grid. Related achievements have garnered one special prize, one first prize, and two second prizes in the National Science and Technology Progress Award, as well as one second prize in the National Natural Science Award. Among these, the "Qinghai-Tibet Railway Project" solved the worldwide challenge of permafrost on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and received the special prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award. Over the past five years, the university has received 83 provincial, ministerial, and national academic association science and technology awards at the second prize level or above, including 10 first prizes in the Gansu Provincial Science and Technology Progress Award. These contributions have made an irreplaceable impact on the national rail transportation sector and the high-quality economic and social development of Gansu.

Expanding the Educational Landscape in Serving High-Quality Belt and Road Cooperation

The university is the only "Demonstration Base for International Students in China" designated by the Ministry of Education in Gansu, Qinghai, and Ningxia, deeply serving high-quality Belt and Road cooperation and the opening-up of education.

Building New Platforms for International Exchange and Cooperation. The university is a member of both the "Belt and Road University Strategic Alliance" and the "China-Russia Transportation Universities Alliance." It has established two international cooperation institutions: the Science, Technology, and Cultural Exchange Center with the University of Information Science and Technology in North Macedonia, and the China-Bangladesh Innovation Base for Science and Technology Talent Cultivation. The university has engaged in extensive cooperation and exchanges with countries and institutions along the Belt and Road. It is authorized to jointly establish a Confucius Institute with the University of Seville in Spain. Recently, the university successfully obtained approval for a joint undergraduate program in Logistics Management with Széchenyi István University in Hungary, achieving a "zero breakthrough" in Sino-foreign cooperative education.

Shaping the "Study at Lanzhou Jiaotong University" International Education Brand. The university hosts an International Chinese Language Teacher Certification Examination platform authorized by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation under the Ministry of Education, as well as a National Language Promotion Base. It is committed to building a comprehensive international talent cultivation system, implementing international training programs for both domestic and international students, including the cultivation of outstanding engineers, enterprise-commissioned training classes, and programs for international students in China. The university has supplied a large number of domestic talents for the construction, operation, and maintenance of international railway projects such as the Mombasa-Nairobi Railway, the Hungary-Serbia Railway, and the China-Laos Railway. It has also trained over 3,000 international professionals from 40 Belt and Road partner countries in fields such as transportation, information technology, and infrastructure development. The university has undertaken training projects for young faculty members from the Turkmenistan State Institute of Communications, electric power professionals from Bangladesh, and technical education for the China-Thailand Railway, training more than 200 specialized technical personnel. In 2025, the achievements of its international education were selected as a typical case in the "Study in China" International Student Education and Management collection organized by the Foreign Student Education Management Branch of the China Association of Higher Education. Thanks to its standardized examination procedures, rigorous quality management, and strong service commitment, the university has been honored four times at the World Chinese Conference with the title of "Outstanding Test Center for the International Chinese Language Teacher Certificate," contributing to the high-quality development of international Chinese language education, deeper exchanges between Chinese and foreign languages and cultures, and the global dissemination of Chinese culture.

High-Quality Implementation of Foreign Expert Projects. The university has established one "Overseas Talent Entrepreneurship Base" under the China Association for Science and Technology and five International Science and Technology Cooperation Bases in Gansu Province. It actively engages in scientific research and has developed an Intelligent Panoramic Simulation Training System for Railway Operations, which has been applied in over 1,500 railway stations across China and in projects such as the China-Laos Railway and the Guinea Railway. The ventilation technology for railway tunnel operations in Africa has addressed ventilation challenges in Guinea's ultra-long railway tunnels. The Train Operation Safety Assurance System is widely used in Belt and Road partner countries. The university has precisely aligned with the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan Railway construction project, focusing on environmental characteristics, construction challenges, and operational safety, and actively promotes railway research cooperation and technical services with Belt and Road partner countries.

Looking ahead, Lanzhou Jiaotong University will remain committed to serving Gansu and the industry, striving to write a new chapter in the revitalization of higher education in central and western China in the new era.