High-speed rail's rapid rise rolls on

China's high-speed rail network was expanded to more than 50,000 kilometers last year, while the national railway system facilitated nearly 4.26 billion passenger trips, according to China State Railway Group.

The figures and forward-looking targets were announced by Guo Zhuxue, president of the State-owned operator, at the company's annual work conference on Sunday in Beijing.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–25) period, the country's operational railway mileage increased from 146,300 km to 165,000 km, an expansion of 12.8 percent. High-speed rail mileage grew at a faster pace, rising nearly 33 percent from 37,900 km to 50,400 km.

"China has built the world's largest and most advanced high-speed rail network," Guo said.

The length of China's high-speed rail network has surpassed the combined total of all other countries.

Passenger traffic reached new highs in 2025, with national railways enabling 4.255 billion passenger trips, up 4.2 percent from the previous year, while peak daily passenger volume exceeded 23.13 million trips, both record levels.

Investment in railway infrastructure also remained strong last year. Fixed-asset investment totaled 901.5 billion yuan ($128.9 billion), up 6 percent year-on-year. More than 3,100 km of new railway lines were put into operation, including 2,862 km of high-speed rail.

At the conference, China State Railway Group set targets for 2026 that include facilitating some 4.402 billion passenger trips, a year-on-year increase of 3.5 percent, and transporting 4.13 billion metric tons of freight, up 1.5 percent from the previous year. The company aims to open more than 2,000 km of new railway lines this year.

By 2030, China plans to expand its total railway network to about 180,000 km, including roughly 60,000 km of high-speed rail, Guo said.

The operator highlighted progress in overseas railway projects and international logistics in 2025. Construction began on the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, while the Serbian section of the Hungary–Serbia railway entered full operation. Indonesia's Jakarta–Bandung high-speed railway has operated safely for the past two years, facilitating more than 13 million passenger trips.

International freight services continued to grow. Freight train services linking China with Central Asia and Europe ran about 34,000 trips last year, transporting 3.17 million containers. Of those, 20,000 journeys were China-Europe freight trains. Services along the western land-sea corridor handled 1.42 million containers, a year-on-year increase of nearly 50 percent.

Guo said the company will continue advancing overseas railway projects, improving cross-border transport mechanisms and expanding international cooperation to enhance connectivity and support regional economic development.