The Transportation program at Central South University (CSU) was established in 1956. Originally named Railway Transportation, it belonged to the Central South Institute of Civil Engineering and Architecture, which was founded during the national college adjustment in 1953. In 1960, building upon the Railway Construction, Railway Transportation, and Bridge & Tunnel Engineering departments of Hunan University, and with the addition of the Departments of Mathematics, Mechanics, and Telecommunications, the Changsha Railway Institute was established, directly under the leadership of the Ministry of Railways. The Railway Transportation program became a cornerstone of the Institute's Railway Transportation Department. In 1985, a departmental restructuring at Changsha Railway Institute led to the creation of the Department of Transportation Management Engineering, under which the Railway Transportation Department was placed. The Railway Transportation program was renamed Transportation in 1994. In 1996, another restructuring at Changsha Railway Institute resulted in the formation of the School of Economics and Management, with the Transportation program remaining one of its primary offerings.

In 2000, following a national decision, Central South University was formed by merging the former Central South University of Technology, Hunan Medical University, and Changsha Railway Institute. After a two-year adaptation period, a large-scale academic restructuring was carried out in 2002. The Transportation program and the Traffic Equipment and Control Engineering program became the two foundational programs supporting the newly established School of Traffic & Transportation Engineering.

In summary, over more than half a century, the Transportation program has continuously evolved in step with national and societal development. It has cultivated over 4,000 full-time undergraduate graduates, who now hold important management and technical positions across the national railway system and related industries. Through years of development, it has matured into a distinctive undergraduate program characterized by a high-level faculty team and rich educational experience.