Rail network continues expansion after boom

More than 10 new railway lines were put into operation across China last year, benefiting more passengers during this year's Spring Festival travel rush.

New railway lines－both regular and high-speed－were put into operation last year as China continues to expand its railway network, including a major line connecting Beijing and Xiong'an New Area in Hebei province. Xiong'an has been considered as China's "city of the future".

Another high-speed line that opened last year connects Yinchuan, capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, and Xining, capital of Qinghai province, extending the high-speed railway network to Ningxia. In addition, a line linking Golmud in Qinghai to Korla in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region that began operations last year is the third railway linking Xinjiang and other regions in China.

Last year, 4,933 kilometers of new railway tracks were put into operation. This year, the goal is 3,700 km.

China's railway network has developed rapidly in the past decade－particularly the high-speed network, whose length has nearly doubled in the past five years to 37,900 km, ranking first in the world.