Chinese railway operators have intensified measures to safeguard thermal coal transport. To ensure the safe operation of heavy-load trains on the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway, which transports some 350 million metric tons of coal each year, maintenance workshop staff members of Hudong Electric Locomotive Depot in Shanxi province have introduced a “three inspections and one verification” system, monitoring locomotive running gear, braking system, roof high-voltage equipment and diesel engines in real time. They aim to prevent locomotives with defects from being pulled out of service, thereby helping the main artery transport coal safely during the Spring Festival travel rush.