CHINA Railway (CR) has outlined its railway development plans for the next five years at its annual planning meeting in Beijing.
By 2030, CR plans for the network to reach around 180,000km, an increase of 15,000km. The high-speed network is expected to grow to 60,000km, adding 10,000km to the current total. The proportion of double-track and electrified lines is likely to increase marginally, to 64% and 78% respectively. Improvements are planned for regional connectivity and freight network capacity.
Development of China’s national 15th five-year plan, which will cover the period 2026-30, is well underway and expected to be finalised later this year. It will include details of plans for China’s strategic railway development, including the amount likely to be invested over this period.
Operational assessment and finalisation of the design of the CR450 high-speed train is due to be completed this year. Testing of infrastructure technology for 400km/h operation will also be conducted, plus studies on upgrading existing high-speed lines for operation at this speed.
Over the past five years, during the period of the 14th five-year plan, China’s rail network has increased in size by 13%, with the high-speed rail network growing by one-third. During this period, the railway carried 16.2 billion passengers and moved 19.6 billion tonnes of freight, an increase of 8.7% and 24.1% respectively. CR assets rose in value from Yuan 10.2 trillion ($US 1.5 trillion) from Yuan 8.7 trillion, an increase of 17.1%, and revenue increased to Yuan 1.02 trillion, up from Yuan 650bn.
Last year, China’s railways carried 4.26 billion passengers, 4.2% more than in 2024, and 4.07 billion tonnes of freight, up 2.1%. Over 3100km of new lines opened, including 2862km of high-speed line. Fixed asset investment totalled Yuan 901.5bn, up 6%.
Construction progress
Tracklaying has started on the Liuzhou - Wuzhou section of the Liuzhou - Guangzhou conventional line in Wuzhou, Guangxi province. The 238km mixed traffic double-track electrified line has a design speed of 160km/h. The Liuzhou - Wuzhou section also serves the cities of Laibin and Guigang, with a total of 10 stations. By the end of last year, cumulative investment in the project had reached Yuan 27.2bn, just over 80% of the total estimated total cost of Yuan 33.8bn. The new line is expected to open later this year.
Tracklaying is also underway in Jiangxi province on the Ruijin - Guangzhou conventional line. The 240km mixed-traffic line, with a maximum speed of 160km/h, serves Huichang, Anyuan, Xunwu in Jiangxi province, and Pingyuan and Meizhou in Guangdong province, and has five stations.
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