China added 440.6 billion yuan (over R$ 370 billion) in investments inrailway infrastructureIn the first seven months of this year, which represented a 1.8% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to data released by the China National Railway Group (GNRC) on Monday, July 17.
Passenger volume reached a record high for the period. National railways transported 2.8 billion people between January and July, representing a 4.1% increase compared to the same period in 2025, the highest result for this interval since records began, according to GNFC. During the same period, there were 14.9 million foreign passengers, marking a 32.5% increase.
The daily average of passenger trains in circulation was 11,462, which means 571 more trains than the same period last year.RailwaysThey also expanded services linked to entertainment events: 2,159 tourist trains operated during the period, including 79 customized trains for fans of musical artists and sports clubs, according to GNFC.
Xi'an-Ankang Connection
During this period, the experimental high-speed railway Xi'an-Ankang, in the province of Shaanxi, also came into operation. It will be 171 kilometers long, and trains will travel atOperational speed of 350 km/hThe line crosses the Qinling Mountain Range and will reduce travel time between Xi'an and Ankang from approximately three hours to less than one hour upon official opening. The railway connects two of the corridors outlined in the national plan "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail axes.
In China, the experimental operation is the testing phase under real conditions that precedes the official opening of a high-speed railway. During this period, the operator runs the route with the scheduled timings for regular service, conducts emergency drills, and checks the capacity of trains to receive passengers at stations before authorizing passenger circulation.
The new projects have prioritized connections between neighboring cities and within metropolitan regions. In Guangdong, in the southern region of the country, the opening of the Foshan Station on the Guangzhou-Zhanjiang high-speed rail reduced the travel time between Foshan and Guangdong from over an hour by car to 20 minutes by train, according to GNFC information.
China has the largest high-speed rail network in the world. By the end of 2025, the national rail network totaled 165,000 kilometers in operation, with over 50,000 km of high-speed rail, representing more than 70% of this type of railway. The GNFC projects the network to reach 180,000 km by 2030, with 60,000 km of high-speed rail.