Chinese state railway CR is planning to expand the railway network to around 180,000 km by 2030, including 60,000 km of high-speed rail (HSR) lines. This will increase the total network by 15,000 km and the HSR network by 10,000 km. The proportion of double-track and electrified lines is set to rise to 64% for the entire network and 78% for the HSR network, with a focus on better regional connections and higher rail freight transport capacities. The national 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) with an investment framework for rail transport is currently being finalised. In the current 14th Five-Year Plan period, the network has grown by 13% and the HSR network by a third. A total of 16.2 billion passengers and 19.6 billion t of freight were transported. CR's assets rose to EUR 1.3 trillion (CNY 10.2 trillion) and its revenues to EUR 125 billion. In 2025, CR carried 4.26 billion passengers and 4.07 billion t of freight, opened over 3,100 km of new lines, including 2,862 km of HSR lines, and invested EUR 111 billion.
