China expands high-speed rail network

The Chinese National Railway Administration has announced that the total length of high-speed rail lines put into operation in China reached 47,000 kilometres.

The overall length of railways open for traffic in the country now totals 162,000 kilometres, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Head of the administration Fei Dongbin said that the total investment in the Chinese railway sector's fixed assets could exceed 800 billion yuan ($111.3 billion) by the end of 2024.

This year, a total of 3,000 kilometres of new railways were put into operation, including 2,300 kilometres of high-speed rail lines.

Fei Dongbin also highlighted the steady growth in both passenger and freight transport volumes. 

Passenger traffic in China is expected to reach 4.3 billion people by the end of 2024, marking an 11.7 per cent increase compared to last year's figure. 

Meanwhile, the volume of railway freight transportation is forecasted to grow by approximately 3 per cent, reaching 5.18 billion tons. The growth in passenger transportation is mainly driven by the booming tourism sector in China. 

Government policy, including measures to stimulate consumption and visa-free transit, have contributed to a surge in travel interest from both domestic and international travelers.

According to China Railway, from January to November, investments in fixed assets for the country's railways totalled 711.7 billion yuan ($99 billion), reflecting an 11.1 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023.

The main functions of the National Railway Administration are as follows:

To formulate laws, regulations and provisions for the supervision and administration of the railways; participate in researching plans and policies for railway development, as well as reform of its institutional structure; study and put forward technical standards and norms for railway technology and supervise implementation;

To supervise and ensure safety in railway operations; research and put forward regulations on railway transportation safety, construction quality and equipment quality; issue administrative approvals; and organize or participate in investigating and dealing with accidents;

To standardize railway transportation, engineering construction, and market order; supervise transportation and service quality; supervise railway companies, especially transportation for public interests;

To monitor and analyze the operational conditions in railways; release official statistics; 

To develop international communications and cooperation with foreign governments. 

To undertake other tasks as requested by the State Council and the Ministry of Transport.

By Naila Huseynova