Train liv e-lo ad standard i s of very impor tance to rai lwa y engineering. Based o n a review o f the present situa tion and dev elopment of live-load standards used domestically and ov erseas, this paper discusses sev eral fundamental subject s in the institutio n of the standard. It i s sugg ested that the U IC live-load standa rd may be ado pted for rai lw ay bridge desig n in China, and the related project s should be researched in time.