2025 marks the end of China’s 14th five-year plan and brings with it a bumper crop of new lines to meet the plan’s objective of completing 50,000km of high-speed railway. At least 10 high-speed lines, some sub-sections of longer lines, are set to open for revenue service between December 2025 and the Spring Festival or Chinese New Year, which starts on February 17.

The key high-speed lines coming into service are:

Guangzhou - Zhanjiang
This 350km/h line in southern China will connect the major regional centre of Guangzhou with the port of Zhanjiang in southwest Guangdong province. The 401km high-speed line serves stations at Guangzhou, Foshan, Fozhao, Xinxing South, Yangchun East, Yangjiang North, Yangxi, Mata, Maoming South, Wuchuan, Zhanjiang North and Zhanjiang West.

Shantou South - Shantou
The 19.8km, 350km/h section of the Shantou - Shanwei line in southeastern Guangdong province will extend the new railway into the centre of Shantou.

Chongzuo - Pingxiang
This section of the Nanning - Pingxiang line in Guangxi province entered service on December 5 and forms the final section of the high-speed line to the Vietnamese border. The latest section to open is 81.5km long with four stations, at Chongzuo South, Ningming East, Longzhou and Pingxiang East, and has a design speed of 250km/h. The Nanning - Chongzuo South section opened for passenger services in December 2022.

Wuhan - Yichang
This 313km, 350km/h east-west line in Hebei province is a key part of the Shanghai - Chongqing - Chengdu high-speed line that is still under construction. It broadly parallels the Yangtse River and serves Hankou station in Wuhan, as well as new stations at Hanchuan East, Tianmen, Jingshan South, Zhongxiang South, Jingmen West, Dangyang West and Yichang North. It will halve the end-to-end journey time to around 1 hour compared with the existing 250km/h high-speed line which opened in 2013.

Xiangyang - Jingmen
This 116km, 350km/h line in Hebei province connects the Zhengzhou - Chongqing high-speed line at Xiangyang East in the north with the Yangtze River high-speed line at Jingmen West in the south, via a new station at Yicheng. Amongst other potential new services, it is expected to be used by a new Hankou - Xiangyang - Jingmen - Jingzhou - Hankou circular service, planned to operate four times a day in each direction.

Jiande - Quzhou
The Jiande - Quzhou section of the 350km/h Hangzhou - Quzhou line in Zhejiang province is 131km long with stations at Jiande, Jiande South, Longyou North, Qujiang (planned), Quzhou West, and Jiangshan.

Jinhua - Jiande
Construction of this 64.5km, 250km/h line in Zhejiang province started in 2020 with a budget of Yuan 11.9bn ($US 1.7bn). The new line connects Jinhua on the Shanghai - Hangzhou high-speed line with Jiande on the Hangzhou - Quzhou high-speed line, via intermediate stations at Lanxi and Dayang.

Hefei - Sixian
The new 350km/h section of the Hefei - Xinyi line in Anhui province is 324km long with six stations, located at Hefei West, Badou, Dingyuan East, Mingguang West, Wuhe, and Sixian East.

Xi’an - Yan’an
The 299.8km, 350km/h line in Shaanxi province will provide the first high-speed connection between these two historic cities and major tourist destinations in northwest China. There are stations at Xi’an North, Gaoling, Fuping South, Tongchuan, Tongchuan North, Yijun, Huangling, Luochuan, Fuxian North, Ganquan North, and Yan’an.

Baotou - Huinong
This 420km section of the Baotou - Yinchuan line in Inner Mongolia will serve stations at Baotou, Baiyanhua West, Wulateqianqi, Wuyuan, Bayannur, Dengkou, Jianguai, Wuhai, Wuhai South, and Huinong South, from where services can continue to Yinchuan on the already- operational southern section of the line.

Beijing - Yanjiao
The latest section of the 350km/h Beijing - Tangshan line to open will enable direct high-speed commuter services from Beijing to reach Tangshan for the first time. Beijing’s eighth railway station, recently completed in the Beijing Municipal Administrative Centre in the suburb of Tongzhou in the northwest of the city, becomes the line’s Beijing terminus. The station interchanges with Beijing metro lines 6 and 22. The Yanjiao - Tangshan section of the 149km Beijing - Tangshan line opened in December 2022.

New freight line

Longchang - Xuyang North
This freight line in Sichuan province is 109km long and is set to be an important part of the western route of the New Western Land-Sea Trade Corridor, as it will improve Sichuan’s connections with ports on the Beibu Gulf. There will be stations at Longchang, Jiaming, Fuji, Shuangjia, Luzhou West, Naxi, Tianxian, Huguo East, Jiangmenzhen East, Longfengzhen, and Xuyong North.