Metrology is the science of measurement and its applications. It is a core component of the national quality infrastructure and serves as an essential foundation for scientific and technological innovation, industrial development, national defense construction, and people’s livelihood security. It is also the technological cornerstone for promoting high-quality economic and social development, providing critical technical support for railway engineering construction, equipment manufacturing, and operational management.
 

Recently, the State Administration for Market Regulation issued the "Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Metrology Technical Committees" (hereinafter referred to as the "Guiding Opinions"), aimed at further enhancing the metrology technical committees' capacity to support metrological governance, unleashing their effectiveness in serving national strategies and industrial development, establishing and improving their own standardized management mechanisms, and providing clear guidance and direction for steadily promoting the construction of the National Railway Specialized Metrology Instrument Metrology Technical Committee (hereinafter referred to as the Railway Metrology Technical Committee).
 
First, the promulgation and implementation of the “Guiding Opinions” have provided clear direction for the development of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee.

First, let’s take a look back at the past. The Railway Metrology Technical Committee was established on November 18, 2002, by the former Ministry of Railways. It is a technical organization dedicated to railway metrology work, responsible for the formulation and revision of metrological technical standards for the railway industry, as well as their interpretation, promotion, and the centralized management of value comparisons among specialized metrological standards used in railways. Since its establishment, the Committee has formulated and revised a series of metrological verification procedures and calibration specifications for railway-specific measuring instruments, prepared examples of measurement uncertainty assessments, and trained a large number of metrology professionals for various railway bureau and group companies.
 
Second, let’s look ahead. The “Guiding Opinions” meticulously outline for the Metrology Technical Committee the short-term goals for 2025—goals that are clear, specific, and highly actionable. At the same time, the document provides a macro-level description of the vision for 2035, establishing a fundamental framework for the long-term development of the Metrology Technical Committee. The specific content of this vision can be appropriately adjusted in response to changes in the external environment, demonstrating strong adaptability. On December 16, 2021, the fifth term renewal of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee was approved by the State Administration for Market Regulation and the National Railway Administration, resulting in the establishment of one overarching technical committee, along with three sub-technical committees covering length, electrical engineering, and mechanics, as well as one coordinating working group. Drawing on the valuable experiences accumulated over the previous four terms, the Railway Metrology Technical Committee remains firmly committed to advancing toward the overall objectives set forth in the “Guiding Opinions,” adopting pragmatic and down-to-earth measures to provide metrological technical services in areas such as railway construction, equipment manufacturing, and operational management.
 
II. The promulgation and implementation of the “Guiding Opinions” will help further improve the working mechanism of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee.
 
First, we will revise the Charter of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee. In accordance with the "Charter of the National Professional Metrology Technical Committees" and the "Regulations for the Administration of the National Professional Metrology Technical Committees," we will carry out the revision of the "Charter of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee." The Charter of the Railway Metrology Technical Committee serves as the fundamental guideline for the organization and its operations, clearly defining responsibilities, organizational structure, working procedures, and other relevant aspects.
 
Second, we have developed and revised foundational metrological technical specifications. Based on the actual conditions of metrology in the railway industry and building upon relevant national metrological technical specifications, we have developed and revised foundational metrological technical specifications such as JJF (Railway) 605—“Rules for Preparing Metrological Procedures and Specifications for Railway-Specific Measuring Instruments”; JJF (Railway) 603—“Railway Metrological Comparison Specifications”; and JJF (Railway) 602—“Measurement Uncertainty of Railway-Specific Measurement Standards.” These specifications provide a solid basis for the development and revision of metrological technical specifications in the railway industry.
 
Third, establish a robust communication and collaboration mechanism. Under the metrology technical specification system—where national metrology technical specifications serve as the main body and departmental and local (regional) metrology technical specifications provide supplementary support—the Railway Metrology Technical Committee will strengthen communication and exchange with metrology technical committees across the country, study methods for tracing specialized metrological values back to universal metrological standards, and establish a communication and coordination mechanism with standardization technical committees relevant to the railway sector. This will enable metrology to play a supporting role in standardization efforts and promote alignment between metrology technical specifications and related technical standards. The Railway Metrology Technical Committee members are encouraged to actively join national metrology technical committees, standardization technical committees, technical committees of railway-related industrial metrology and testing centers, relevant industry associations, and academic societies, thereby enhancing mutual information exchange and effectively ensuring consistency between industry-specific metrology technical specifications and national metrology technical specifications, national standards, and industry standards in terms of technical parameters and metrological performance.
 
Fourth, we will scientifically plan the professional structure of the Committee and optimize its organizational composition. Railway metrology covers specialties such as geometric measurements, electrical engineering, mechanics, and thermodynamics. We have established subcommittees for length, electrical engineering, and mechanics, as well as one coordinating working group. The Technical Committee is responsible for comprehensive and cross-disciplinary metrological tasks; the subcommittees undertake specific metrological work within their respective specialties; and the coordinating working group is tasked with monitoring developments in relevant authoritative technical organizations and the official technical documents they publish, and with ensuring the coordination and alignment of metrological technical standards and related technical documents for the railway industry. The committee members are primarily composed of technical personnel who are actively engaged in metrological research, verification, calibration, production, and management. They come mainly from units including the National Railway Administration, China State Railway Group, specialized research institutes, transportation and manufacturing enterprises in the railway sector, subway operators, universities, and manufacturers of metrological instruments. In accordance with the requirements of the "Guiding Opinions" and the development trends of each specialty, we will further scientifically plan the professional layout, optimize the structure and proportion of members on the Metrological Technical Committee, and encourage professionals from research institutes and higher education institutions specializing in the railway field to participate.
 
Third, the promulgation and implementation of the “Guiding Opinions” will facilitate the steady development of the Metrology Technical Committee.
 
First, we will strengthen the responsibilities of the Chairperson, the unit hosting the Secretariat, and the Secretary-General. We will establish an annual accountability mechanism for Chairpersons: each sub-technical committee Chairperson will report to their respective technical committee, and the Chairperson of the technical committee will report to the National Railway Administration. We will also implement an annual work-report system for the Metrology Technical Committee and a concluding-term work-report system. The unit hosting the Secretariat will provide the Secretariat with the necessary working conditions and offer support in terms of human resources, resource allocation, and financial subsidies. The work of the Secretariat will be incorporated into the host unit’s work plan, and the host unit will assume responsibility for the Secretariat’s development. The Secretary-General will oversee all aspects of the Secretariat’s work within their respective committee, organize and convene committee working meetings, approve Secretariat documents, and, under the leadership of the Chairperson and Vice-Chairpersons, manage and evaluate the committee members’ performance.
 
Second, we will strengthen talent development. The “Guiding Opinions” set forth specific requirements for building a talented workforce, stepping up efforts to train management personnel, drafters, chief reviewers, specialized professionals, and instructors for promotion and implementation within the Metrology Technical Committee, thereby enhancing their capabilities in managing and drafting, reviewing, implementing, and engaging in international exchanges and cooperation related to metrological technical standards. We will also invite high-level experts to join the Metrology Technical Committee as consultants, advisory committee members, or specially invited committee members, and foster their development through methods such as mentoring by experienced professionals, exposure to diverse job roles, academic exchanges, and collaborative research.
 
Fourth, the promulgation and implementation of the “Guiding Opinions” will help the Metrology Technical Committee carry out its technical service work in a solid and effective manner.
 
First, we must remain firmly rooted in railway services and dedicated to railway metrology work. The Railway Metrology Technical Committee is tasked with formulating and revising metrological technical standards for the railway industry, providing metrological technical consultations, organizing academic seminars and exchanges, conducting metrology popularization and education, and disseminating related knowledge. Continuing to focus precisely on the three major initiatives—increasing freight volumes, enhancing passenger transport quality, and implementing the “Fuxing” brand strategy—is an essential requirement for comprehensively improving the quality of railway transportation services and ensuring that the people experience a greater sense of comfort, attentiveness, and tangible benefits and happiness.
 
Second, we will expand the coverage of metrological technical specifications. We will further update our metrological concepts, adopt a holistic metrological mindset, and gain a deeper understanding of the essence of metrological instruments and the application of measurement values, thereby ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and validity of measurement values. To broaden the scope of metrological technical specifications, when soliciting proposals for drafting and revising these specifications, we will explicitly include railway-specific metrological instruments, measurement methods, measurement procedures, standard reference data, and testing solutions within the scope of the solicitation.
 
Third, we will implement the industry’s metrology development plan and fill gaps in metrological technical standards. To implement the “Metrology Development Plan (2021-2035)” and the “Outline for Building a Transportation Powerhouse,” the National Railway Administration has formulated and released the “Railway Metrology Development Plan (2021-2035),” setting quantitative targets for 2025 and long-term vision goals for 2035. The Railway Metrology Technical Committee is implementing the industry’s metrology development plan, promoting the application of innovative research findings in metrology, enhancing the supply of metrological technical standards in areas such as intelligentization, automation, remote calibration, and online calibration, and filling existing gaps in metrological technical standards in these related fields.
 
The railway is a strategic, leading, and critical piece of major national infrastructure. It serves as the lifeblood of the national economy, a vital project for people’s livelihoods, and the backbone of the integrated transportation system. Its position and role in China’s economic and social development are of paramount importance. The Railway Metrology Technical Committee will always adhere to the guiding principles of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, thoroughly implement the spirit of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and successive plenary sessions of the 19th Central Committee, and faithfully carry out the strategic plans of the Party Central Committee and the State Council regarding metrology work. Taking the in-depth implementation of the General Administration of Market Regulation’s “Guiding Opinions on Strengthening the Construction of Metrology Technical Committees” as an opportunity, the Committee will spare no effort to promote its own development, focus on enhancing its supply capacity and service quality, and provide robust technical support for railway metrology.

Source: National Railway Specialized Measuring Instruments and Metrology Technical Committee

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