Summary：China intends to build 6,800-km railway, including 3,200-km of high-speed railway, with $119-billion investment by ...

China intends to build 6,800-km railway, including 3,200-km of high-speed railway, with $119-billion investment by 2019, Lu Dongfu, Party chief of China Railway Corporation, also a National People’s Congress deputy, revealed at the ongoing Two Sessions.

The intended railway lines will cover projects linking Beijing, Hebei, and other major locations across the country, as well as 14 remote and destitute areas, which accounts for two-third of China’s railway infrastructure investment ,Lu Dongfu said in an interview with People’s Daily on Friday.

In particular, the engineering feasibility study report on the Sichuan-Tibet Railway is expected to be finished by June this year and construction will start soon afterward, Lu said.

The railway climbs from southwest China’s Sichuan province, which is located several meters above sea level, to the “Roof of the World” of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, which has an attitude of over 4,400 meters.

In addition to increasing coverage, China will also enhance its Fuxing bullet train this year. The number of this bullet train will be expanded to 450 pairs. Meanwhile, the trains’ cafeteria and Wi-Fi services will also be improved by the end of the year.

Since the first high-speed train at a designed speed of 350km/h put into service in 2008, China has cumulatively constructed 29,000-km of high-speed railway, which occupies more than two-third of world’s total mileage, creating a miracle in engineering construction.

The popularization of China’s bullet trains has greatly benefited the Chinese people. Some 9.95 billion trips were made by the end of last month with an annual increase over 30%.