Reading “Meteorological Knowledge” magazine, taking prizes quiz and filling in meteorological knowledge questionnaire… Passengers on the train 2621 from Beijing to Chifeng had an unforgettable trip of meteorological science on March 23. It is World Meteorological Day. The train 2621 departed from Beijing in the morning with young volunteers distributing meteorological science materials to the passengers in the coach. This is part of the campaign “meteorological science on the train”, which is jointly sponsored by the China Meteorological Administration (CMA), Ministry of Railways (MOR) and China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) to celebrate World Meteorological Day.

According to Shen Xiaonong, deputy secretary of the China Meteorological Administration, “meteorological science on the Train" is an important part of the 2012 World Meteorological Day celebrations. It is an important means and effective measures for CMA, MOR and CAST to implement the "National Scheme for Science Literacy”, popularize meteorological science to the railway system and passengers, enhance the railway sector’s ability of meteorological disasters prevention and mitigation and improve passengers’ scientific literacy and emergency refuge capacity. “Meteorological Science on the Train" is aiming to promote cooperation between meteorology and railway sectors in disaster prevention and mitigation and improve meteorological science literacy of mobile staff.

Railway is the traffic artery in China and railway lines extend throughout the country. It involves a variety of complex natural environment and subjects to severe risk of disastrous weather. Inclement weather, especially extreme weather has great impact on railway transport and passengers’ safety. Over the years, meteorology and railway admini9strations have established a good cooperative mechanism in response to severe weather and protect the railway transport safety. In the future, the both sides will continue to strengthen cooperation in accelerating the construction of weather forecasting and early warning systems, constantly improving monitoring means, timely providing meteorological disaster warning information, and strengthening the popularization of meteorological knowledge, distributing meteorological disaster prevention and mitigation knowledge through the train service and vigorously improving public awareness and ability to prevent meteorological disaster and respond to climate change.