UIC Releases Two International Standards Presided over by China

The International Union of Railways (UIC), i.e. the most influential professional international standards organization in the railway industry, has recently issued and implemented two standards, which represent the first international railway standards in their respective fields. Specifically:

• IRS 60680:2022 Design of a High–Speed railway – Infrastructure
• IRS 60682:2022 Design of a High–Speed railway – Energy

The two standards were presided over by experts coordinated by the China National Railway Group. More than international 20 experts also participated in the process, from more than 10 countries such as France, Germany, Japan, Spain, Italy, etc. The entire standard development process took four years.The two standards summarize the successful experience of high-speed railway design in the world and the advanced technology of system integration. On this basis, they

• Introduce the overall design concept of China’s high-speed railway
• Incorporatethe basic key indicators (e.g. classification of subgrade stuffing materials) and promote advanced technology (e.g. catenary system)
• Specify UIC’s design concept, key indicators, and technical requirement withregard to subgrades, bridges, tunnels, tracks, stations,

By the end of 2021, the operating mileage of China high-speed rail had exceeded 40,000 kilometers, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total mileage of high-speed rail in the world. In recent years, the China National Railway Group has made great efforts to participate in international standardization activities, contributing to the evolution of China’s high-speed railway from being a national symbol to a leader of international standards.

The two standards are the second and third international standards in the Design of a High–Speed Railway series. They were preceded, in November 2021, by the UIC’s release of IRS 60681 Design of a High–Speed Railway – Communication and Signaling, which was too formulated by China. At the same time, in recent years experts from the China National Railway Group actively participated in the formulation and revision of more than 60 major UIC international technical standards in high-speed railway, train network, braking system, etc. Including 3 standards listed above, remarkably, the release of a total of 11 international high-speed railway standards presided over by China fills the absence of international standards in key areas of high-speed railway implementation and design.