Today, the hottest phrase in the Chinese railways is definitely “leap-forward development”, which shows China’s ambitious plan to rapidly develop its railways by 2020. The plan outlines the development as follows::

Railway Network Plan in 2020

• Railway route length increasing from 73,000 km in 2003 to 100,000 km in 2020

• Separation of passenger and freight traffic on busy trunk lines

• 50% coverage for double-track and electrification

• Acceleration of railway construction in the western region

• Further improvement on railway network in central and eastern regions

• Rapid passenger-dedicated railway network & heavy-duty freight transport corridors covering China’s major cities  

Passenger-dedicated Network in 2020

• Four vertical lines (Beijing-Shenyang-Harbin; Beijing-Shanghai; Beijing-Guangzhou-Shenzhen; Shanghai-Ningbo-Shenzhen)

• Four horizontal lines (Qingdao-Shijiazhuang-Taiyuan; Xuzhou-Zhengzhou-Lanzhou; Nanjing-Wuhan-Chongqing-Chengdu; Hangzhou-Nanchang-Changsha)

• Three inter-city express passenger transportation systems (Bohai Rim; Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta)

• Passenger-dedicated line up to 12,000 km

• Passenger train speed up to 200 km/h and above

Container Transportation Corridors in 2020

• Completion of 18 intermodal terminals and 40 container-handling stations

• Container-intensive lines upgraded

• Operation of double-stack container trains on 16,000 km of lines

Technical Equipment

• Extensive adoption of technology for high-speed passenger and heavy-haul freight transport

• Acceleration of railway informationization and extensive adoption of CTC

• Standardization, serialization, modularization and informationization for locomotive and rolling stock

• High-speed EMUs & locomotive and rolling stock technology for 200-km/h (or above) passenger transport

• Technology for heavy-haul freight locomotives and rolling stock as well as general-purpose locomotive and rolling stock

• Technologies on track, bridge, tunnel, culvert, traction, power supply, signaling and communications for high-speed

• Safety inspection and safety control technology

In terms of technology introduction, only “advanced, proven, economic, applicable and reliable” technology and equipment will be introduced in flexible ways such as combination of technology and trade, technology transfer, joint design and cooperative manufacture. Emphasis will be put on locomotives and rolling stock, permanent way infrastructure, transportation safety technology and equipment.

It is expected that by 2020, the passenger and freight traffic volume will increase by 300% and 100% respectively. The completion of planned railway network will recruit a total of about RMB 2 trillion yuan (US $241 billion) before 2020.