China has become one of the world's high-speed rail giants, investing the equivalent of 50 billion dollars over the course of a decade to link not only all of China's major metropolises but also, and increasingly, its secondary cities. The success has been overwhelming. In 2015, 961 million passengers used these high-speed lines, making China's TGV network the most used in the world. The billion mark is in sight for 2016.
A milestone was reached last September, when Beijing inaugurated a new line linking Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan Province in central China, with Xuzhou, in the eastern province of Jiangsu. This 365 km section has enabled the high-speed network to pass the symbolic mark of 20,000 km of track. As a reminder, in 2013, China still only had 10,000 km of high-speed track...
Travelling at 300km/h, the trains link the two cities in 1 hour and 20 minutes, compared with four hours by car. The new line is therefore of strategic importance, significantly reducing the distances between Eastern and Western China, especially as another line is currently under construction between Baoji and Lanzhou (480 km). In a few years' time, it will be possible to connect the city of Urumqi (Xinjiang, close to the border with Kazakhstan) in the far west of the country to Xuzhou by high-speed train alone. The distance between the cities, close to 3,400 km, currently takes 40 hours. The high-speed network is in the process of totally reconfiguring China's socio-economic landscape.
According to plans by China Railway Corp, which manages the network, the number of high-speed lines should reach 45,000 km by 2030. First and foremost, they will relieve congestion in the major metropolises. For example, people living in towns 100 km away are now linked to Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou in less than 45 minutes.
New urban centres are emerging across the country. At the World Economic Forum in Davos last March, a study revealed the most dynamic emerging cities in China. These include major metropolises such as Chengdu and Chongqing The Economist Intelligence Unit revealed that the most dynamic cities in China are Guiyang, Xiangyang, Hengyang and Zhengzhou. The Economist Intelligence Unit revealed that the most dynamic cities in China are Guiyang, Xiangyang, Hengyang and Zhengzhou, with GDP growth rates of over 12%, compared with an average of 7% for the country as a whole. These cities are investing in new technologies, services and consumption by their local populations. Above all, they are linked by the TGV, making them alternatives to traditional Chinese megacities.
This trend is set to continue in the years ahead, with other cities poised to become new economic hubs thanks to future TGV developments. The China Railway Corp. is working on trains travelling at 420 kph. The first trials have already been successful. And China is even working on high-speed trains capable of travelling at 500 kph in the future.
