Railways playing greater role in modernization

China National Railway Group (CR), the nation's railway operator, said that to better serve and support Chinese modernization, building a world-class railway enterprise in China is vital.

In a key meeting it convened in Beijing in late July, CR said by focusing on railway passenger and freight transport services with diversified business operations, it must bolster market-oriented operations and expand its main businesses for such an aim.

The country's railways carried passengers on 2.24 billion trips in the first half of 2025, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 percent and a new historical high, CR said, noting that the railways also carried 1.98 billion metric tons of goods, a rise of 3 percent.

"Passenger and freight transportation are showing a trend of prosperity, making a positive contribution to smooth domestic and international dual circulation and ensuring stable operation of the national economy," CR said.

Currently, China's plan to connect the whole country with high-speed railway is gaining momentum and its high-speed rail network is playing an increasing role in the nation's socioeconomic progress.

CR said the country's high-speed rail network spans about 48,000 kilometers, accounting for 70 percent of the world's total, and linking nearly every Chinese city with a population of over 500,000.

The two-day 12th International Union of Railways World Congress on High-Speed Rail concluded on July 10 in Beijing with over 2,000 participants from more than 60 countries, regions and international organizations, saying China has created the largest and most advanced high-speed rail system in the world in less than two decades.

Liu Wei, minister of transport, said the country's comprehensive three-dimensional transportation network has enabled people, logistics and capital to flow efficiently across 9.6 million square kilometers of land, offering a vivid portrayal of Chinese modernization.

The high-speed rail express network also covers 90 percent of China's top-rated 5A scenic spots, while high-speed rail cargo volume during the five-day May Day holiday this year jumped by 120 percent year-on-year, promoting the emergence of new economic forms.

Cao Wei, an employee from State builder China Railway No 4 Engineering Group, said to highlight the smooth progress of an HSR in Central China's Hunan province, the first box girder of the Shaoyang section of the Shaoyang-Yongzhou HSR was erected at Yuantang Village Grand Bridge on Aug 1.

This marked a new cornerstone of the HSR linking the last two remaining prefecture-level cities of Shaoyang and Yongzhou in Hunan province that do not have an HSR allowing trains to run 350 kilometers per hour.

The 96-km Shaoyang-Yongzhou HSR, which began construction on Dec 26, 2023, is part of the 2,300-km Hohhot-Nanning HSR that links Hohhot, capital of Inner Mongolia autonomous region, with Nanning, capital of Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, and is a key part of China's HSR network with eight HSR running vertically and eight HSR running horizontally.

Cao said CREC4 is in charge of building the No 1 bid, which extends for 34.233 kilometers, for the Shaoyang-Yongzhou HSR that will have three stations.

She noted that upon completion, the Shaoyang-Yongzhou HSR can extend southward through the designated Guangzhou-Qingyuan-Yongzhou HSR that connects Yongzhou with Guangzhou and Qingyuan in South China's Guangdong province, running in a north-south direction.

The railway will then become a vital external channel in central and western regions of Hunan to join the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, she said.

To ensure the smooth installation of the first box girder, the CREC4 project team focused on the construction tasks of box-girder fabrication, transportation and erection, as well as key processes such as box girder hoisting, transportation and installation, said Cao's colleague Bai Xingtao.