It is one of the most incredible developments in the history of the world over the last two decades. It has taken China 15 years to connect virtually every corner of its immense territory to a high-speed rail network. With the exception of the west of the country, where the Himalayas form a natural barrier. A fine revenge on the Japanwhich, at the time, was the world's model for high speed, with its Shinkansen train network.
In 2008, the network consisted of just one high-speed line, linking Beijing to Tianjin, which was brought into service for the Olympic Games, covering a distance of 131 km...
It is one of the most incredible developments in the history of the world over the last two decades. It has taken China 15 years to connect virtually every corner of its immense territory to a high-speed rail network. With the exception of the west of the country, where the Himalayas form a natural barrier. A fine revenge on the Japanwhich, at the time, was the world's model for high speed, with its Shinkansen train network.
In 2008, the network only included one high-speed line, the one linking Beijing to Tianjin, which was commissioned for the Olympic Games and covered a distance of 131 km in 30 minutes. By 2020, the network will cover more than 37,000 km and connects Hong Kong to Beijing or Shanghai in one go, as well as Urumqi to Xian and Chengdu to Beijing.
According to official figures, the country recorded 127 million travellers in 2008, almost 2.3 billion passengers in 2019. Some 4,000 train convoys criss-cross the country every day on 177 routes. The fastest train is the one that runs between Shanghai and Beijing, travelling at an average speed of 317 km/h, with peaks of 350 km/h. The two cities are 4 hours 15 minutes apart, covering a distance of 1,300 km.
70,000 TGV lines by 2035 in China
According to the UIC, the country is currently building almost 15,000 km of additional lines, i.e. 80 new axes. Over the longer term, the country continues to plan for some 13,000 km of additional lines, with China aiming to 70,000 km of high-speed rail by 2035.
Its technological expertise is now enabling the country to sell its know-how to the rest of the world. For example, it has just completed construction of the line to Laos, thereby extending its rail network to the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Beijing is also involved in the construction of the high-speed train between Bangkok and north-east Thailand, as an extension of this first high-speed train in Laos.
Chinese know-how is also being exported to the rest of the world. Indonesia, Iran, Mexico, Panama, Turkey have benefited or are benefiting from the largesse of the Chinese government's "New Silk Roads" policy.
In Europe, China invests in a future Budapest-Belgrade route. The nationalist governments of Hungary and Serbia have found a powerful economic ally in China. China is also involved in the construction of of a future high-speed line between Moscow and Kazan in Russia. This represents a total investment worldwide of $143 billion, according to calculations by the Financial Times newspaper dating from 2017.
