STORY: Colombian metro technicians receive training in China's Xi'an
SHOOTING TIME: Feb. 10, 2025 and recent footage
DATELINE: Feb. 12, 2025
LENGTH: 00:02:08
LOCATION: XI'AN, China
CATEGORY: SOCIETY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the metro operation training program in Xi'an, China
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XIN, Deputy general manager, Training Consultation Center of the Operations Branch of Xi'an Metro
3. various of the metro operation training program in Xi'an, China
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DANIEL GUARIN BARRERA, Employee of Bogota Metro Line 1, Colombia
5. various of the Bogota Metro Line 1 animation
6. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JESSICA TATIANA BERDUGO BENITEZ, Employee of Bogota Metro Line 1, Colombia

STORYLINE:

Since October 2024, forty metro technicians from Bogota, Colombia, have been participating in a 15-month metro operation training program in Xi'an, China.

The program is jointly provided by Xi'an Metro and Xi'an Railway Vocational and Technical Institute.

In 2019, a consortium of Chinese enterprises composed of Xi'an Metro and China Harbour Engineering Company won the bid for the Bogota Metro Line 1 project.

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): ZHANG XIN, Deputy general manager, Training Consultation Center of the Operations Branch of Xi'an Metro
"The project's construction is managed by China Harbour Engineering Company, while its operation will be handled by Xi'an Metro. Xi'an Metro launched an overseas rail transportation talent training program in 2023. The first batch of 10 trainees had already returned to Colombia for work. Meanwhile, the second batch of 40 employees has completed a three-month theoretical training and Chinese language courses at Xi'an Railway Vocational and Technical Institute. Now, they are learning subway-related knowledge before beginning practical operation training at Xi'an Metro."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): DANIEL GUARIN BARRERA, Employee of Bogota Metro Line 1, Colombia
"We have learned about the vehicle, the components, systems, and mainly how they work, how all these technologies work together and smash into a functional machine to operate safely and efficiently, which is actually the main goal for transportation. To be always safe, reliable, and efficient as possible. Besides that, we have also been learning Chinese along with our technical courses."

The Bogota Metro Line 1 is designed to be 23.96 kilometers long and is expected to begin operation in 2028. Its route will traverse the city center, southern, and northern areas of Bogota, making the "subway dream" of local residents a reality.
   
SOUNDBITE 3 (English): JESSICA TATIANA BERDUGO BENITEZ, Employee of Bogota Metro Line 1, Colombia
"At this moment, the idea of a metro for Bogota is a dream. Actually, it's a dream come true. For us engineers, to come here to China to learn about the metro in Xi'an is our responsibility. Because for the Bogota citizens, for us, it means a lot. We were waiting for this transportation option for many years. So, it's almost a dream come true at this moment because we are very close to start working for making it real."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Xi'an, China.
(XHTV)