ITB and SWJTU Forge Landmark Partnership to Shape Future Railway Engineers

RRI.CO.ID, Bandung - Indonesia's Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and China's Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) have taken their long-standing academic ties to a new level, launching a joint initiative to develop world-class railway engineers.

The agreement was formalized in Chengdu, China, on May 15, 2026, during the “Signing Ceremony for the Overseas Tianyou Railway Institutes,” coinciding with SWJTU’s 130th anniversary celebrations.

ITB Rector Tatacipta Dirgantara and SWJTU President Yan Xuedong signed the collaboration, which establishes the Tianyou-Djuanda Excellent Engineers College, as reported by ITB's official website on Sunday, May 17, 2026.

The program aims to strengthen education, research, and talent development in transportation engineering and railway systems, with ITB’s Faculty of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (FTMD) spearheading the initiative.

The first implementation will be a Double Degree Master’s Program in Railway Engineering, designed to enhance academic capacity, research collaboration, and human resource development in Indonesia’s rail sector.

The college’s name honors two pioneering figures: Zhan Tianyou, celebrated as the “Father of China’s Railroad” for building the country’s first modern railway without foreign assistance, and Djuanda Kartawidjaja, an ITB alumnus of the class of 1933 who played a crucial role in Indonesia’s railway administration after independence and later served as Minister of Transportation and Prime Minister.

The ceremony was attended by FTMD Dean Hermawan Judawisastra, Vice Dean for Academic Affairs Pandji Prawisudha, and Program Coordinator Yunendar Aryo Handoko.

This collaboration builds on existing ties between ITB and SWJTU, including the China-Indonesia Joint Meeting on Science and Technology, student exchanges, joint research, and reciprocal academic visits in Bandung and Chengdu.

The new college is expected to serve as a hub for nurturing globally competitive engineers capable of addressing challenges in sustainable transportation development.

As one of China’s leading universities in railway and transportation technology, SWJTU brings decades of expertise to the partnership. For ITB, the initiative reinforces its commitment to expanding international networks, driving technological innovation, and strengthening Indonesia’s role in shaping the future of global transport infrastructure. ***