China reforms railway court system

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Railway courts handle criminal and civil cases concerning railway transportation, safety and property. They were operated by the Ministry⁴ of Railways in the past.

All of the country's railways courts will be funded by local finances and the appointment of relevant posts in such courts will be decided⁵ by local legislatures, according to a statement from the Supreme⁶ People's Court (SPC).

China created the railway courts in 1954 but eliminated them just three years later. The courts reemerged in the 1980s, when authorities created a three-tier railway court system including a Supreme Court in Beijing, 17 intermediate courts in local bureaus and another 58 lower courts. The supreme court was eliminated in 1987.

All intermediate- and lower-level courts have been integrated into the civilian court system as of June 28 this year, according to the SPC statement.

More than 3,300 staff and assets with a total worth of 7 billion yuan(1.1 billion U.S. dollars) from the railway court system were transferred, it says.

According to a judicial interpretation⁷ issued by the SPC on Monday, all railway courts will be able to accept criminal and civil cases in addition to railway-related ones starting from Aug. 1.

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