China’s high-speed rail network on track to breach 50,000km milestone in 2025

China’s high-speed rail operator reports passenger increases and lower debt ratios in 2024, projects mileage benchmark will be surpassed

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China’s high-speed railway network is poised to surpass 50,000km in 2025, a major milestone. Photo: Getty Images

Published: 9:00pm, 2 Jan 2025Updated: 9:10pm, 2 Jan 2025

China’s railway operator is laying track for a record-breaking 2025, with the country’s total high-speed railway mileage projected to reach over 50,000km and transport revenue set to surpass 1 trillion yuan (US$137 billion).

While the network’s expansion will widen domestic travel options and reduce logistics costs, it also presents an opportunity for Beijing to export its cutting-edge technology and construction capacity overseas, particularly as the national capital prepares to host the World High-Speed Railway Congress in July.

China will add another 2,600km of high-speed railway to its 48,000km network this year, the state-owned China State Railway Group – also known as China Railway – said at its annual work conference on Wednesday as reported by official news agency Xinhua.

With the first high-speed passenger line only opening in 2008, achieving the milestone in 2025 would indicate an extraordinary pace of expansion.

As of 2024, high-speed lines accounted for 30 per cent of the national railway operating mileage of 162,000km, a significant increase from the 20 per cent proportion reported in 2017.

Despite some doubts from overseas about the network’s debt burden and profitability, China Railway reported a 2.7 per cent rise in operating revenue last year, reaching 990.18 billion yuan on a wave of passenger and cargo transport.