The predecessor of the Third Engineering Group Co., Ltd. of China Railway is the Third Engineering Bureau of the Ministry of Railways, which was founded in 1952. It is a large state-owned comprehensive civil engineering construction enterprise registered in Shanxi province and approved by the Ministry of Construction with Special Grade Qualification of civil engineering contraction. Its engaged in Survey, Design & Construction of all kinds of railway works, signal, railway power supply, electrified railway, highway, irrigation works, building works, municipal works, blasting & demolishing works, concrete prefabrication units, and other large civil works both at home and abroad. There are 31,641 employees with various specialties and professions in the company, among which 10000 are skilled technicians, 580 are senior ones. The net assets of the company is 1.32 billion RMB with the annual construction capacity over 7 billion RMB and it owns 6900 large-sized, advanced construction plant and equipments with total power of 381,000 kw. The company was awarded the Quality Management System Certificate (ISO9000) in December, 1999, the Certificates of the Environmental Management System(GB/T-24001ISO14001:1996) and the Occupational Safety and Health Management System (the OSHMS Audit Specification GB/T280001-2001) in the year of 2003; and was approved and awarded New and Advanced Technology Enterprise by Shanxi province in May 2003. In the past five decades, the company has completed more than 60 newly-built, innovated, and double lines, with total mileage of more than 8000km. In addition, it also undertakes other kinds of civil engineering projects and made excellent achievements on highway, irrigation, power, telecommunication, light rail transit, and building works. Since China's reform and opening to the outside world, the company has actively entered into the international market to compete with others and has undertaken projects in respect of railway, highway, municipal architecture, telecommunication, signal in Tanzania, Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Nigeria, and Mongolia; and has accumulated rich experiences both on project management and execution of works abroad.

The company always strives for fine quality of works, advanced science and technology, and ensuring works completed in due completion time. Since 1979, about 56 projects have been awarded State and Provincial Prizes, such as Luban Cup, Zhan Tianyou cup, the supreme award in China's construction field; 25 scientific researches, science and technology projects have been awarded with State, Provincial, and Ministerial Prizes for the science and technology achievements, such as: Laying jointless track over sections for newly-built railway line by one time, Plate-type tie ballastless track laying for Special Passenger Traffic Line, Heavy Changzheng III laying-erecting machine, Bridge Erecting Machine with extension boom for both railway and highway works, etc., all these comprehensive construction methods and technologies are in leading level in China.

On the basis of the tremendous construction capacity, advanced technology and good professional ethics, the company has been awarded An Enterprise of Honor Contracts and Abide by Ones Words, and AAA Prize for Capital Credit Rating by Shanxi Province and Taiyuan Administration Bureau of Industry and Commerce in China for more than ten years continuously, awarded Advanced Enterprise Prize by Shanxi province, and National Advanced Enterprise with Good Quality and Profit in 2002, Excellent Unit of Construction Plant Management by the State in 2003.