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China’s Rail Transport System To Be Upgraded
19 January 2022
EIRNS—The State Council released today the plan for rail development in the 14th Five-Year Plan. In that period they intend to increase the high-speed rail line from the present 38,000 km to 50,000 km by 2025, connecting 95% of the cities with a population of 500,000 or more with a high-speed rail system. In turn, the operating mileage of total railways will also increase from 146,000 km to 165,000 km. The new plan also calls for developing railway double-decker container transportation in an orderly manner, exploring the launch of customized direct railway freight trains, and making full use of excess transportation capacity and facilities to develop railway express freight offerings, such as high-speed rail express, thereby significantly increasing the turnover of goods in the market, particularly in high-value goods. They will also work to integrate the system more fully using the latest in AI and digital technology. At present, China has 11 north-south vertical lines, 18 east-west horizontal, and 7 capital radial lines. [wcj]
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