Two departments issued a document to strengthen the supervision and management of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways

Recently, the Ministry of Transport and the National Railway Administration jointly issued the Opinions on Strengthening Supervision and Management of Intercity and Municipal (Suburban) Railways (hereinafter referred to as the Opinions) to further promote the orderly, sound, and sustainable development of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways.

The rapid progress in urbanization in recent years brings fast development of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways in China. Objectively, however, the development of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways in China has also encountered some issues, including unclear regulatory responsibilities, incomplete regulatory systems, and lack of smooth coordination and integration.

The Opinions clarifies the responsibilities of the National Railway Administration and regional railway supervisory bodies in fulfilling industry oversight duties, as well as the responsibilities of relevant local government departments in fulfilling regional management duties. This will strongly promote the improvement of a layered and categorized regulatory system involving the National Railway Administration, regional railway supervisory bodies, and local government regulatory agencies and strengthen the accountability of regulatory responsibilities.

For improving the regulatory system, the Opinions puts forward clear requirements for enhancing the supervision of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways. The first is to improve the technical standards system. The Code for Design of Intercity will be optimized, relevant standards for the design, acceptance, and costing of municipal (suburban) railways will be improved, and the integration of “the four networks” - trunk, intercity, suburban, and urban railways will be promoted. The second is to optimize the administrative approval system. Based on the characteristics of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways, the approval methods and detailed guidelines for implementation concerning the railway transportation enterprise operations and the qualifications of locomotive drivers will be optimized to further facilitate applicants. The third is to improve the operational safety assessment system. The formulation of the Specification for Railway Operation Safety Assessment and the Safety Assessment Methods for Newly Built and Renovated Railways will be stepped up to promote the effective implementation of operational safety assessments.

For strengthening source supervision, according to the Opinions, the National Railway Administration will strengthen oversight of the early stages of projects, establish a collaborative mechanism with local governments, and enhance the review of the project feasibility, the rationality of major technical standards, and the reliability of safety measures for intercity and municipal (suburban) railways newly funded by local governments. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport and the National Railway Administration will strengthen their technical guidance on the preparation of special plans organized by local governments for intercity and municipal (suburban) railways and enhance communication and coordination with relevant national departments to jointly carry out the review of these special plans.

Next, the Ministry of Transport and the National Railway Administration will take a multi-pronged approach and pool strength to jointly promote the implementation of the Opinions and ensure the sustainable and sound development of intercity and municipal (suburban) railways.