Despite developing high-speed rail decades later than other countries, China has rapidly advanced and currently leads the world with a network spanning over 42,000 kilometers.
From Concept to First High-Speed Rail
In October 1978, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping visited Japan. Despite a packed schedule, he managed to find time to ride the high-speed train, as noted by author Wang Xiong in his book The Speed of China: The Development of High-Speed Rail. At a subsequent press conference, Deng remarked that it was his first experience with this mode of transportation. “It was very fast, as fast as the wind. It felt like it urged you to run,” he said.
High-speed trains waiting for maintenance in Wuhan, Hubei Province, central China. (Photo: Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu).
Two months after the visit, China held a plenary session of the 11th Central Committee of the Communist Party in Beijing, discussing priorities for economic development. At that time, the maximum speed of trains on traditional tracks was only 80 km/h, and there was a debate about the necessity of high-speed rail. Supporters argued that the system would contribute to economic development, while opponents claimed it was too costly.
In 1990, a proposal to build high-speed rail was submitted to the Chinese government. The report was prepared by several government agencies and aimed to alleviate congestion on existing railways and highways. In 2004, China selected four major technology companies—Alstom, Siemens, Bombardier, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries—to sign technology transfer contracts with two major domestic train manufacturers: China Southern Railway Corp (CSR) and China Northern Railway Corp (CNR).
By 2008, China’s first high-speed rail line began operations, connecting Beijing and Tianjin, reducing travel time from 70 minutes to just 30 minutes.
A Rapid Development Process
By the end of 2022, China’s high-speed rail network had reached 42,000 km, becoming the largest high-speed rail network in the world. Notably, all of this was constructed in just about 15 years.
In 2008, the total length of high-speed rail in China was 672 km, according to SCMP. By 2010, this figure had grown to 5,133 km. From 2017 to 2020, the network expanded to nearly 40,000 km. In 2022 alone, the network grew by an additional 2,082 km, as reported by CGTN. China aims to have 50,000 km of high-speed rail by 2025 and 200,000 km by 2035.
The high-speed rail network in China currently far surpasses that of other countries, even though it started later. As of 2021, the second-largest high-speed rail network was in Spain, with a total length of 3,661 km, while the country has been building its network since 1992, based on data from Statista and SCMP. Japan, which has operated high-speed rail since 1964, ranks third with 3,081 km. Despite being one of the first countries to have high-speed trains, the United States only operated a mere 735 km of high-speed rail by 2021, placing it 11th in the world.
In the U.S., the fastest train—the Acela Express operated by Amtrak—travels at approximately 240 km/h. In contrast, with many rail lines reaching maximum speeds of 350 km/h, travel between provinces in China has dramatically changed, breaking the dominance of air travel on the busiest routes. By 2020, 75% of cities with populations over 500,000 in China had access to high-speed rail.
The Fuxing high-speed train overpasses a traditional train in China. (Video: CGTN).
Technology in China’s High-Speed Rail
China has dedicated tracks for high-speed trains and does not use the old tracks of traditional trains. “High-speed trains require more gentle curves and lighter gradients, which help the trains run smoothly and safely,” explained Zhenhua Chen, an associate professor of regional and urban planning at Ohio State University, to the Wall Street Journal in July 2023.
To achieve the current accomplishments, Chinese engineers have had to tackle a series of enormous challenges due to the vast size of the country and its diverse terrain, geology, and climate, ranging from the icy region of Harbin in the north to the humid climate of the Pearl River Delta, or the 1,776 km Lanzhou-Urumqi line that crosses the Gobi Desert.
For instance, the Harbin-Dalian high-speed rail line is the first high-speed rail in the world to operate at low temperatures during winter. The 921 km line traverses three provinces in northeastern China with a design speed of 300 km/h. It passes through areas where temperatures can drop to -40 degrees Celsius in winter.
“The Harbin-Dalian high-speed rail is equipped with electric heating systems and snow-melting devices on the tracks and curves. They will start operating when it snows. If there is too much snow, we will implement a ‘double assurance’ system, using both the electric heating system and manual snow removal to ensure the train runs normally,” Wang Hongtao, who oversees the Changchun section of the Harbin-Dalian high-speed rail, shared with Xinhua in 2022.
Another example is the Fuzhou-Xiamen-Zhangzhou undersea high-speed rail, which stretches 227 km with a maximum speed of 350 km/h and began operations at the end of September 2023. This rail line crosses three coastal bays via undersea bridges. The construction of these three undersea bridges successfully overcame challenges posed by the unfavorable natural environment.
“During the bridge construction, we applied wind resistance design and erosion control to enhance durability,” said Li Pingzhuo, project manager at China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group, to Xinhua. The line is also equipped with various smart technologies such as the Internet of Things, edge computing, and geographic information systems.
High-speed trains running on the Qianzhou Bay undersea bridge on August 31, 2023. (Photo: China State Railway Group Co., Ltd).
The Reasons Behind the Massive High-Speed Rail Network
Firstly, China has a tremendous demand for transportation. As of 2021, the U.S. had eight cities with over 5 million people, India had seven, Japan had three, and the UK had only one. However, China had as many as 14 such cities, according to B1M. An unprecedented urbanization speed combined with rising household incomes has led to a rapid demand for the transportation of people and goods nationwide. Meanwhile, frequent flight delays have plagued the aviation industry. High-speed trains not only provide a cheaper means of transportation but also offer reliability.
This significant demand has allowed China to invest heavily in high-speed rail technology and infrastructure. According to a 2018 study on China’s high-speed rail by the United Nations University, investment in railways has continuously increased in China’s five-year plans since 2001. In 2015, they poured $125 billion into railway construction. In November 2018, the Chinese government announced a $586 billion economic stimulus package, a large portion of which was allocated to high-speed rail.
The ability to construct at low costs and high speeds, utilizing various modern machinery and robotics, is also one of the reasons for China’s rapid development of its high-speed rail network. According to B1M data from 2021, Europe spends about $25-39 million per kilometer for high-speed rail, while in the U.S., the figure rises to about $56 million. However, China only spends approximately $17 million for each kilometer of high-speed rail.
