China’s high-speed rail network is the largest in the world, with two-thirds of the world’s entire high-speed rail network located in China. The country has out-built every other nation, and is planning to double the size of its high-speed network in the next 15 years. The network has helped ignite an economic powerhouse, with enough high-speed lines built in little over a decade to almost circle the globe. The system welcomed 1.7 billion passengers in 2019 alone, which is equivalent to 0.2% of the UK’s current network.
To understand how this jaw-dropping network came to be and where it’s headed, we need to look at the story of modern China. Since the 1980s, the country has roughly doubled its GDP every eight years, with more than 800 million people lifted out of poverty. Between 2000 and 2018, over 47% of the population rose to middle-class status. Cities few had heard of 20 years ago are now vast metropolises, with skyscrapers soaring above your head, factories teaming with activity, and trade booming.
The fast lines of the high-speed network have played a huge role in accelerating the country’s growth since 2008, but before that train systems were under pressure. Faced with buckling infrastructure, state planning for high-speed rail began in 1990, and the first line between Beijing and Tianjin opened in 2008, cutting travel between the two cities from 70 minutes to 30. Other lines were quickly introduced, linking the cities of Shanghai, Wuhan, Chengdu and more.
Initial trains were imported or built under technology transfer agreements with foreign train-makers, but since then, Chinese engineers have become leaders in the field. The country now has the world’s longest high-speed rail line, between Beijing and Guangzhou, the world’s fastest high-speed line, between Beijing and Shanghai, and the world’s first commercial maglev line – reaching a top speed of 267mph.
As of 2021, China’s high-speed rail network stretches for 37,900 kilometres, while its entire rail track length runs for over 141,000 kilometres. By 2035, the high-speed network will have grown to 70,000 kilometres, and the total rail length will extend over 200,000 kilometres.
The case for high-speed rail in China continues to strengthen. The lines it’s built have drastically shortened travel times, improved safety, reduced carbon emissions, and allowed many Chinese people from rural or less developed areas to access the country’s massive cities. Studies have also found that tourism increases by around 20 percent in provinces connected to the high-speed network.
The plans for expansion are intended to build on this success but also to address the country’s wealth discrepancy problem. The rich coastal region cities of Beijing and Shanghai have a far higher nominal per capita income – sometimes more than double or quadruple that of those living inland. Beijing hopes new lines will grow more regional hubs. By 2035, all cities with a population of more than 200,000 people will be connected by rail – and those with more than half a million people will have access to high-speed rail. The strategy also helps Beijing with its desire to unify the country. A standard rail line was built from Beijing to Tibet despite its small population, while a high-speed line links the capital directly with Hong Kong.