Global trainer driven to teach future operators

At speeds of 350 kilometers per hour, there is no room for error or guesswork. A slight delay in engaging the brakes, misreading the dashboard or poorly handling a system fault could throw off not just one train but derail the entire national schedule.

Xu Weijun understands this better than most. Standing before a group of trainees in a simulator cockpit at China's flagship driver training center in Wuhan, Hubei province, he asked calmly, "If the system shuts down mid-run, what's your first move?"

He already knew the answer. He had written the protocols himself.