Many developed countries in the world have adopted high technology to rebuild and improve the rail transportation industry actively. It has increased the security and automation degree of rail transportation greatly. Since "the ninth five-year-plan", the velocity and quality of rail transportation infrastructure construction are improved quickly by applying high technology in China. However, there still have much difference between china and the developed countries in the development of rail transportation. This paper systematically researches the application of high technology in rail transportation such as railway, metro, light railway, railway nearby suburb, maglev railway etc. and also researches the development road to high technology industrialization in transportation field, on the basis of viewing the current development condition and the trend of rail transportation in the world and analyzing the development status and trend of rail transportation in our country.