Workers work on the ballastless tracks at the construction site of Nanzhang Station of the Zhengzhou-Wanzhou high-speed railway in Nanzhang County, central China's Hubei Province, April 12, 2021. Photo: Xinhua

China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), China's top planner, has emphasized the need to address problems in railway planning and construction with the aim of establishing efficient modern railway network at a media conference on Monday.

Meng Wei, spokesperson of NDRC, introduced that the mileage of railway in China has reached 146,000 kilometers, among which 38,000 kilometers are high-speed railways by the end of 2020, boosting the social and economic development.

However, there are some problems in railway planning and construction as well, such as weighing heavily on high-speed railway and passenger transportation but neglecting conventional railways and cargo transportation. 

Chinese authorities issued suggestions to guide the planning and construction work of railway in March to address the problems and establish a functional and connecting high-efficient modern railway network.

Meng said that NDRC will increase effort in balancing the development of high-speed railway and conventional railways as well as passenger transportation and cargo transportation and promote the railway construction in urban circles of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region, the Yangtze River Delta and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

NDRC also announced that Xiong'an New Area, in North China's Hebei Province, has commenced large-scale construction. The new Beijing-Xiong'an-Shangqiu high-speed railway and Beijing-Xiong'an expressway have been accelerated to lay foundation for the new area to receive the "non-capital" functions of Beijing. 

Global Times