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Yesterday, IBM opened a new Global Rail Innovation Center in Beijing, China.

The center will address passenger reservations and service, asset utilization and productivity, track and infrastructure surveillance, scheduling, integrated fare management and environmentally efficient operations. The facility will be staffed by a global network of IBM rail consultants, software specialists, mathematicians and business partners.

"Population growth and urbanization are driving an unprecedented demand for modernized rail systems, and governments and businesses worldwide recognize that railroads play a critical role in supporting economic growth," said Keith Dierkx, director of the IBM center, in a prepared statement. "By bringing together leading industry experts and advanced technologies, we can help rail providers increase rail capacity, efficiency, safety, and customer service — resulting in networks of smarter rail systems around the world."

Founding members of the center's advisory board include Quentin Kopp, chairman of the California High Speed Rail Authority, Joseph Sussman, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and representatives from Michigan Technological University, Motorola, Railinc, RMI, Sabre and Tsinghua University.

In addition to collaborating with the advisory board, center constituents will draw upon assets and expertise from across IBM and around the world, including its research labs, software development labs, systems centers and global service delivery capabilities.

The center is located in China because the country "is at the epicenter of revolutionizing rail infrastructure and operations for the 21st century, introducing new high-speed trains and a hugely expanded rail network at an unprecedented pace," according to IBM.