In 2025, the national railway system is expected to transport a total of 4.28 billion passengers, an increase of 4.9% year-on-year, and will transport 4.03 billion tons of cargo, China State Railway Group Co (China Railway) said during an annual work conference, setting major tasks for the coming year. By the end of 2024, China’s railway network covered 162,000 kilometers, with nearly 48,000 km of high-speed rail, positioning the country as the global leader in high-speed rail development. In 2025 China plans to add 2,600 km of new rail lines. In 2024, national railway investments reached CNY850.6 billion, an 11.3% increase from the previous year. More than 3,100 km of new rail were added last year, including 2,457 km of high-speed rail, linking key cities and regions, the Global Times and the China Daily report.
China Railway, the operator of the national railway network, said that it will strive to complete CNY590 billion of railway infrastructure investment and put 2,600 kilometers of new lines into operation in 2025. The total revenue from transportation is expected to reach CNY1.016 trillion, an increase of CNY25.8 billion or 2.6% year-on-year. The national railway operating mileage is expected to reach 180,000 kilometers by 2030, of which about 60,000 kilometers will be high-speed railways – unprecedented in the world. Travel time within cities and city clusters, and among metropolises will be cut to one hour, two hours and three hours, respectively. It will be possible for mail sent by express services to be delivered in as short a time as one day within China, two days when sent to neighboring countries, and three days when sent to major cities globally.
“The rapid development of railways will bring more convenience to people's travel, while injecting a strong impetus into economic development by facilitating logistics,” Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times. In 2024, a total of 1,860 trains dedicated to tourism promotion were operated, up 20% year-on-year, said China Railway. China's railway system carried 4.08 billion passengers in 2024, a year-on-year growth of 10.8%, and the number of passengers transported by railways in a single day reached a record high of 21.448 million. The number of passengers transported during the Spring Festival and other holidays repeatedly set historical records, according to China Railway. Sun noted that new railway lines, in operation or planned, are more dedicated to meeting the specific demands of regional residents. He cited the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway line – which was launched on December 26, 2024 – as an example, saying the new line meets the travel demands of the region. “It used to take a whole night to travel from Shanghai to Huzhou in Zhejiang province by ship. Then, with an expressway, the journey was shortened to about two hours by car. Now, with the new high-speed rail, it takes less than an hour at the fastest,” said Sun.
In terms of freight transport, the national railway system has reduced the logistics cost of the whole society by about CNY60 billion in 2024, according to China Railway. The construction of railway-related logistical infrastructure also accelerated in 2024, with the construction of 44 special freight railway lines and 12 logistics bases along railway lines. The improved freight transport network boosted the surge of cargo carried by railways in 2024, with a total of 3.99 billion tons completed in 2024, up 1.9% year-on-year, the Global Times reports.
In December, China's fastest train, the CR450, was seen running from Tianjin to Beijing. It was the second glimpse of the CR450 – designed with a trial speed of 450 km/h and a commercial operating speed of 400 km/h – after a test video briefly surfaced online in November before it was taken down. Advanced noise-reduction technologies ensure that the interior noise levels are comparable to those of the 350 km/h trains. A standout feature of the CR450 is its exceptional energy efficiency. The train’s running resistance has been reduced by 22% and its weight cut by 10%, leading to improved energy efficiency, setting a new global standard in rail transportation. Two prototypes debuted, one developed by CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles and the other by CRRC Sifang Co, each of which has a slightly different interior design, although both focus on passenger comfort and a high-quality travel experience. The CR450 exemplifies China’s innovation-driven development strategy and demonstrates the country’s scientific and technological capabilities, according to the China State Railway Group.
Meanwhile, Shanghai unveiled a high-speed rail link between its two major airports, reducing transit time to just 40 minutes. Prior to the airport link’s launch, transiting between Hongqiao and Shanghai Pudong International Airport via the metro took around 1 hour and 40 minutes.
