The Institute is a successor to the former Changsha Railway Institute's Track Maintenance Machinery and Engineering Machinery Research Institute. The institute focuses on complex electromechanical-hydraulic-optical control systems in engineering work vehicles and large-scale engineering equipment.

It has developed complete sets of technologies and equipment for railway track maintenance through precision measurement in railway engineering.

It has successfully developed railway catenary operation vehicle and large-scale track maintenance machinery, such as long rail laying machines and other track, tunnel, and bridge construction equipment.

For over 20 years, the institute has been deeply involved in the industry-academia-research collaboration of precision measurement of railway tracks, precision measurement and adjustment of ballastless tracks, and precision measurement and tamping of ballasted tracks, completing the research and development and practical application of complete sets of technologies and equipment, which have been promoted and applied throughout the railway system.

The main research areas cover:

(1) Information control of transportation equipment and perception of railway traffic conditions;

(2) Theory and Engineering Application of Railway Track Irregularities;

(3) Precision control network and rapid precision measurement technology for high-speed railways;

(4) Precision measurement and adjustment of high-speed railway tracks and construction;

(5) Precision measurement and tamping technology;

(6) Theory and methods for high-smoothness track adjustment and optimization;

(7) Track engineering operation equipment;

(8) Online/offline inspection/monitoring technology and equipment for railways.