China's high-speed railway will reach 35,000 km by year-end

A high-speed train runs on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou high-speed railway in Zhangjiakou, north China's Hebei Province, Oct. 25, 2019.  (Xinhua/Yang Shiyao)

China has exceeded its target for the year in railway construction and will have 139,000 km of railways in operation in 2019, of which 35,000 km will be high-speed rail, ranking first in the world.

50 projects are expected to be put into operation in 2019 and over 7,000 kilometers of new lines will be built, including 20 high-speed rail projects and over 4,000 kilometers of new lines.

During the Spring Festival travel rush in 2020, China's railways are expected to carry 440 million passengers, a year-on-year increase of 32.6 million, or 8 percent.

Thanks to the increase in transport capacity, people have been pleasantly surprised to find that train tickets for the Spring Festival travel rush are more affordable.

Meanwhile, as more than 10 new lines will be newly built by the end of the year, the pressure on the transportation system will be greatly relieved.