Wenyi Zhang
Research expert covering Greater China
High-speed railway in China – statistics & facts
During the former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping's visit to Japan in 1978, he experienced the world’s first high-speed train, “Shinkansen” (also known as the bullet train). This kicked off the awareness of high-speed railroads (HSR) in mainland China. Twenty-five years later, the first Chinese HSR system connecting Qinhuangdao to Shenyang (now part of the Beijing-Harbin Railway) was operated with a length of 404 kilometers (km) and a speed of 250km per hour. The rate at which China’s extensive express network has been built is staggering. To date, China owns the largest HSR system in the world, with a total operating high-speed rail network of 40,000 kilometers in 2021. This stands over three times the HSR distance of the European Union’s. China is now established as a rolling stock powerhouse that competes at the global level. By 2021, China operated a total of 4,153 “Fuxing Hao” high-speed trainsets (standard high-speed electric multiple units). In addition, the country operates most of the world's fastest trains, such as the CRRC Qingdao Sifang 2021 Maglev train, with a record speed of 600 km per hour.
As a competitive alternative to road and air transportation, HSR has received a positive response from Chinese citizens as a mode of travel. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the HSR passenger numbers soared to nearly 2.3 billion in 2019, accounting for approximately 63 percent of all rail passenger travel in China. Although HSR ridership still did not return to previous levels, it rose to 74 percent of rail ridership in 2021, representing a faster recovery of high-speed passenger traffic than regular rail passenger traffic in the post-COVID-19 period.
As a competitive alternative to road and air transportation, HSR has received a positive response from Chinese citizens as a mode of travel. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the HSR passenger numbers soared to nearly 2.3 billion in 2019, accounting for approximately 63 percent of all rail passenger travel in China. Although HSR ridership still did not return to previous levels, it rose to 74 percent of rail ridership in 2021, representing a faster recovery of high-speed passenger traffic than regular rail passenger traffic in the post-COVID-19 period.
