Today, China's high-speed railway network spans a distance of over 37,900 km, ranking first in the world. The network connects a large proportion of Chinese cities and plays a prominent role in the nation's economic development. However, building high-speed trains has required long periods of construction and large investments. Hence, from a long-term perspective, the future development of the railway should focus on further enhancing the quality of construction and operation.

According to a document released by multiple authorities, including the National Development and Reform Commission, passenger flow, city scales and other factors should be added to the list of considerations for future construction plans.

High-speed railway network should be integrated with traditional train system in order to improve the efficiency of passenger transport. Freight transport is also an important revenue focus for the railway sector and helps reduce overall logistical costs in China. For this reason, high-speed railway construction should also consider meeting the demands of freight as well as serving passengers.

This is an edited excerpt of an article originally published in Economic Daily on April 18