Permafrost is widely distributed across the world and is found in Eurasia, North America, Antarctica and other regions. In China, permafrost covers approximately 2.15 million square kilometers, accounting for more than 20% of the national land area, and is mainly distributed on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Northeast China.

In recent years, remarkable achievements have been made in the construction and operation of major transportation infrastructure in seasonal frozen ground and permafrost regions, including high-speed railways, rail transit systems, expressways, urban roads, airports and ports. The theory, technology and engineering practice of transportation geotechnics in cold regions are developing rapidly.

To provide an international platform for academic exchange among researchers, engineers, designers, constructors, operators and educators in cold-region transportation geotechnical engineering, the 8th International Symposium on Transportation Soil Engineering in Cold Regions (TRANSOILCOLD 2027), as the TC202–TC216 joint conference of ISSMGE Technical Committees TC202 and TC216, will be held in Golmud, Qinghai, China, from Aug 6 to 8, 2027.