By Matija Šerić
China is a country of many wonders. Everyone knows the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, the roof of the world—the Himalayas, the Forbidden City, the Leshan Buddha, and the Oriental Pearl Tower, among other extraordinary achievements. One of China’s remarkable accomplishments is its railway network. Just today, China Railway (CR) announced that the railways set new records in 2025. The high-speed rail network has expanded to over 50,000 kilometers, while passenger traffic reached an impressive 4.26 billion trips.
Five-Year Plan Drives Infrastructure Development
Last year marked the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan of the Chinese Communist Party (2021–2025), during which the total length of the country’s railway network increased from 146,300 to 165,000 kilometers—a growth of 12.8 percent. The high-speed rail network grew even more rapidly, increasing by approximately 33 percent, from 37,900 to 50,400 kilometers. Truly impressive figures.
Progress Fuels China’s Ambitions
Chinese railways carried 4.2 percent more passengers last year compared to 2024, while daily passenger traffic exceeded 23.1 million trips. Both indicators are historical records. “China has built the largest and most advanced high-speed rail network in the world,” said Guo Zhuxue, director of China Railways. He added that the Chinese government will continue to expand railway capacity and improve quality. Next year, passenger traffic is expected to increase by around 3.5 percent, and freight traffic by 1.5 percent. By 2030, Beijing plans to expand the total railway length to about 180,000 kilometers, including approximately 60,000 kilometers of high-speed rail.
A Fascinating Development
The existing railway network is an achievement that the Chinese can rightfully be proud of. While the first railway was built in the United Kingdom in 1825, the fastest expansion of a national railway network is occurring in the People’s Republic of China.
By the 1980s, most Chinese locomotives ran on steam. During the 1980s and 1990s, steam locomotives on major lines were replaced by diesel and electric engines. Steam locomotives were retired from mainlines by 2005 (though some still operate on industrial lines). Since 1997, train speeds have increased on average sevenfold. From the mid-2000s, high-speed rail saw rapid growth. The first high-speed line opened in 2007, connecting Beijing and Tianjin.
From 2008 to the present, over 38,000 kilometers of rail connecting major cities have been built, and expansion is expected to reach 70,000 kilometers by 2035. At the start of the current decade, over 95 percent of Chinese cities with more than one million residents were connected by high-speed rail. It is only a matter of time before this figure reaches 100 percent.
The Unstoppable Growth of China’s High-Speed Rail Network
China – World Leader in Railway Traffic
Currently, China ranks second in the world in total railway length at 165,000 km (the U.S. has 220,000 km) and first in high-speed rail length at 50,400 km (Spain is second with 3,900 km). Chinese railways also lead the world in passenger and freight traffic.
Railway transport in China is fully state-managed through CR, which was established 13 years ago. The intensity of infrastructure development over recent decades is evident: freight transport increased fivefold between 1980 and 2013, and passenger traffic increased sevenfold during the same period.
Key Benefits of Rail Development
The development of railway infrastructure has played a crucial role in China’s economic growth for several reasons. First, it has significantly improved functional transport connectivity, facilitating freight movement between seaports and inland cities separated by great distances. This has boosted both domestic and international trade. Without the high-speed rail network, China would never have become the world’s top trading power and the second-largest economy. Thanks in large part to rail transport, President Xi Jinping was able to launch the global trade initiative Belt and Road (One Belt, One Road) in 2013, aimed at ensuring China’s economic dominance worldwide.
Greater Mobility and Regional Development
Second, railways have enabled greater mobility between urban and rural areas. The workforce can now travel more efficiently between their homes and workplaces. High-speed rail allows people to live in smaller cities while working in larger metropolises, reducing pressure on overcrowded urban centers and promoting regional development as well as a more balanced distribution of population and resources. Third, improved connectivity between urban and rural areas has accelerated development in previously neglected provinces such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou, and Xinjiang, particularly in their towns and villages, reducing social and developmental disparities.
A New Landscape
Fourth, entirely new urban centers have emerged along high-speed rail lines, such as the Xiong’an New Area in Hebei province. Beyond new cities, the rapid development of high-speed rail has stimulated the growth of industrial zones, logistics hubs, and residential areas near stations, shaping a completely new urban and economic landscape.
Financial Savings and Public Health
Fifth, mass and efficient rail transport has reduced the cost of moving goods and passengers compared to road or air travel. Freight transport has become simpler, more accessible, and more affordable. Estimates suggest that freight transport costs in China have decreased by as much as twentyfold compared to road transport (taking into account environmental and infrastructure costs). Sixth, rail transport is environmentally friendly, producing far less pollution than other forms of transport—particularly beneficial for an industrial China burdened by rapid industrialization.
Tourism and Technological Development
Seventh, railways have boosted tourism. Domestic and international tourists can more easily reach China’s numerous attractions, strengthening local economies. Eighth, railways support technological development, as their expansion requires expertise in mechanical engineering, transportation, energy, and automation. Supporting industries, innovation centers, and educational-research programs have grown alongside the railway sector, providing a skilled workforce and technological advancement across the economy.
Despite various innovative solutions, railway transport is set to dominate the 21st century—a fact the Chinese understood in time. This is why they are a superpower that continues to advance despite numerous obstacles. The sooner other nations realize this, the better it will be for them.
