<p>Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emission from the railway equipment maintenance and repair (REMR) industry are receiving increasing attention. To investigate the emission characteristics and ozone formation risk of VOCs, this study collected VOCs samples from four typical locations at a railway bureau in China and recorded the paint usage over the past four years. The results demonstrated that the emission of VOCs from the paint site was much higher than that of the oil storage site. Seventy VOCs components were detected from the VOCs from the REMR industry. The main components were halogenated hydrocarbons and alkanes, and the top ten components accounted for more than 80% of the total VOCs emissions. Estimation showed that the total paint usage by the 18 railway bureaus in the REMR industry across China was approximately 10,000tons per year. It was beneficial for reducing VOCs emissions by increasing the proportion of water-based paint usage. The assessment of ozone formation potential (OFP) revealed that aromatic hydrocarbons and oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) were the main contributors to the OFP of paints, whereas the aromatic hydrocarbons and alkanes were the primary contributors to OFP of oils. The control of O₃ production requires regulating the use of materials with high VOCs emissions and simultaneously control the materials with high OFP contributions. These findings are significant for the understanding and control of VOCs emission from REMR industry, thereby contributing to the mitigation of ozone pollution risk.</p>