$500b to boost high-speed rail plan

Goals include ‘rejuvenating’ western China and country’s economy, transportation official says

In In the the next next five five years, years, China China will will invest invest 3.5 3.5 trillion trillion yuan yuan ($503 ($503 billion) billion) to to accelerate accelerate railway railway construction, construction, including including expansion expansion of of the the country’s country’s high-speedhigh-speed railrail networknetwork to to 30,000 30,000 kilometers,kilometers, a a senior senior official official said said on on Thursday. Thursday.

“By “By 2020, 2020, more more than than 80 80 percent percent of of China’s China’s major major cities cities will will be be connected connected by by high-speed high-speed railways,”railways,” said said Yang Yang Yudong, Yudong, vice-minister vice-minister of of transportation. transportation. China released a white paper China released a white paper titled “Development of China’s titled “Development of China’s Transport” on Thursday, which Transport” on Thursday, which Hu Kaihong, director of the Hu Kaihong, director of the State Council Information State Council Information Office’sPress Bureau, said is the Office’s Press Bureau, said is first white paper to review the the first white paper to review sector’s tremendous changes in the sector’s tremendous changes recent decades and to set goals in recent decades and to set for its future. goals for its future. Inthe past fewyears, China’s In the past few years, China’s railway network, especially railway network, especially high-speed rail, has undergone high-speed rail, has undergone dramatic change. From 2011 to dramatic change. From 2011 to 2015, China invested 3.58 trillion 2015, China invested 3.58 trillion yuan to build 30,000 km yuan to build 30,000 km of railway. By the end of this of railway. By the end of this year, the nation’s total railway year, length the will nation’s reach total 124,000 railway km, length including will 20,000reach 124,000km of highspeedkm, including railway, 20,000 accountingkm of highspeed for 65 percent railway,of the accountingworld’s totalfor 65 high-speedpercent of rail. the world’s total high-speedInJuly, theNationalDevelopmentrail. In July, and Reformthe National CommissionDevelopment issuedanupdatedand Reform national Commission railway issued developmentan updated plan national envisioning railway a development 175,000-km plan rail envisioningnetwork by a the 175,000-kmend of 2025,rail networkwith 38,000by the km endof high-speedof 2025, withrail. 38,000 km of high-speed rail. However, the high-speed railway However, network still the faces high-speed challenges, railway especially network in still the faces lessdeveloped challenges, western especially partin the of less-developedChina. Yang, the western vice-ministerpart of China.of transportation,Yang, the vice-ministersaidheis confident of transportation,that lines in westernsaid he Chinais confidentwill that eventuallylines in western become China profitable. will eventually become profitable.“Plus, building high-speed railway “Plus, buildingin less-developedhigh-speed railwayregions is in not less-developedonly about recouping investment. It is part regions is not only about of the big project of rejuvenating recouping investment. It is the whole region and the part of the big project of rejuvenating country’s economy,” said Yang. the whole region and

The high-speed rail linking the country’s economy,” said Beijing and Shanghai showed Yang. a profit last year, XinhuaNews

The high-speed rail linking Agency reported in July, quoting Beijing and Shanghai showed Tianjin Railway Construction a profit last year, Xinhua Co, a shareholder of News Agency reported in July, Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed quoting Tianjin Railway Construction Railway Co. Co, a shareholder of

Yang Hao, a professor of rail Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed transportation at Beijing Jiaotong Railway Co. University, said the economic

Yang Hao, a professor of rail returns of a high-speed transportation at Beijing Jiaotong railway network shouldn’t be University, said the economic judged solely on whether lines returns of a high-speed are profitable, since these railways railway network shouldn’t be can leverage the development judged of solely such on whether industries lines as are tourism, profitable, logisticsandrealsince these estate.railways Accordingcan leverageto China the Railwaydevelopment Corp, constructionof such industriesbegan on as Thursday tourism, on logisticsa high-speedand real rail estate.line linking Guiyang, Guizhou province According— to a China transportationRailway Corp,hub connecting construction membersbegan on of Thursdaythe Associationon a high-speedof Southeastrail line Asian linking Nations Guiyang,— and Guizhou Nanning, the capital of the Guangxi province — a transportation Zhuang autonomous hub connecting members of region. the Association of Southeast

The 482-km line will connect Asian Nations — and Nanning, the Shanghai-Kunming the capital of the Guangxi railway and the Chengdu-Guiyang Zhuang autonomous region. railway to the north and

The 482-km line will connect will also link to southern coastal the Shanghai-Kunming areas including Hainan railway and the Chengduprovince and Guangzhou, Guiyang railway to the north Guangdong province. and will also link to southern

The newrailway will accelerate coastal areas including Hainan communication between province and Guangzhou, China and ASEAN countries Guangdong province. and play an important role in

The new railway will accelerate the Belt and Road Initiative. communication between China and ASEAN countries Contact the writers at and play an important role in suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn the Belt and Road Initiative. Inside Contact the writers at suzhou@chinadaily.com.cn See more> p10, 11

HE JUNYI / FOR CHINA DAILY The world’s highest bridge, at 565 meters, opened on Thursday at the border of Southwest China’s Guizhou and Yunnan provinces. By the end of last year, China’s highways totaled 4.58 million km.