Transport sees glorious decade

Nation invested over 7 trillion yuan in railway construction between 2012, 2021

China's transport sector has registered significant growth in the past decade, with expanding transport and logistics networks serving increasingly more people and freight, and connecting with the world via much improved high-quality services, officials said on Friday.

"In the past 10 years, China's transport sector has made historic achievements, carried out momentous reforms, accomplished impossible tasks and completed projects that could only have been dreamed of in the past," said Xu Chengguang, vice-minister of transport, at a news conference held by the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

From 2012 to the end of last year, China had added about 1.1 million kilometers of railway lines and roads, a distance long enough to circle the equator over 27 times. Now, more than 95 percent of cities with populations over 200,000 have access to high-speed railways and freeways, Xu said.

China invested more than 7 trillion yuan ($1.05 trillion) in railway construction over the past decade, laying 52,000 km of track.

By 2021, China's railway network extended some 150,000 km, with 40,000 km being high-speed railways.

"More than 80 percent of counties have access to railways and the high-speed railway network covers 93 percent of cities with a population of more than 500,000," said An Lusheng, deputy director of the National Railway Administration of China.

In the past decade, a total of 82 airports were newly built, relocated or renovated, bringing the total number of airports in China to 250, said Dong Zhiyi, deputy director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

China's aviation network has 5,581 air routes, with more than 3,000 added in the past 10 years.

Logistics such as mail and parcel delivery services have also been progressing. The country has 413,000 postal centers and handled more than 10 million parcels last year, said Dai Yingjun, deputy director of the State Post Bureau of China.

China has built the world's longest high-speed railway and freeway networks with world-class ports connecting with the globe.

"China's high-speed railway, road, bridge, port and parcel delivery networks have become the country's calling card. The massive and comprehensive transport system linking places across China and the world has provided strong support for the nation, which is the world's second-largest economy and the largest goods trading country," Xu said.

Data from last year showed that on a daily basis, the average number of vessels entering and leaving ports was more than 69,000 while 26,800 aircraft made departures and arrivals. In addition, the country handled nearly 300 million parcels every day. During peak times, 60 million vehicle trips were made via freeway networks each day.

"In general, people enjoy their travels and goods flow smoothly. Transportation has become an area most people are satisfied with. A China with a strong mobility capability demonstrates the vitality of prosperity," Xu added.