China’s High-Speed Train Miracle
China has made incredible progress in building high-speed rail over the past decade. They have constructed nearly 40,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, connecting almost every major city in the country. This means China now accounts for around two-thirds of the world’s high-speed rail volume, surpassing Japan and the EU. In contrast, Europe has only 11,000 km of high-speed rail in use, according to the Worldwide Railway Organization. The US barely has any high-speed rail. So, how did China manage to achieve this feat? Can other countries replicate China’s success? And what do expensive lizards have to do with it? To understand the significance of China’s accomplishments, we need to go back in time.
In 1969, Japan was the first country to introduce a high-speed train. The UIC defines high speed as anything faster than 200 km/h. Back then, the Shinkansen bullet trains could run at 210 km/h. The US soon followed with its Metroliner service between New York City and Washington, D.C. France opened a high-speed train line between Paris and Lyon in 1981, and Germany introduced the Intercity Express in 1991. Italy, Spain, and Russia also started building their high-speed rail networks.
In contrast, China’s rail network had remained largely unchanged over the years and was not equipped for high-speed rail. However, China’s rapid economic growth played a pivotal role in making high-speed rail a reality. “The Chinese did not invent high-speed rail, but boy have they adopted the idea and run with it,” says Mark Smith, also known as “The Man in Seat 61,” who runs one of the internet’s most popular train blogs. He has ridden high-speed trains extensively and notes that China is now way ahead of other high-speed rail operators in terms of the network they have built. The system is highly organized, with everyone having their reserved seat, and the boarding process is efficient.
Today, one can travel from Beijing to Shanghai, a distance of 1,300 km, in just four hours. Traveling from north to south, from Beijing to Guangzhou, takes only eight hours, compared to 22 hours on a regular train. Additionally, you can even take a bullet train to Tibet at 3,000 meters above sea level, where the train features an automated oxygen supply and tinted windows to protect passengers from sunburn at such a high altitude.
So, how did China achieve this impressive feat? Firstly, they were able to do it at a relatively low cost.
In China, the cost of building a kilometer of high-speed railway track ranges from 17–21 million USD, whereas in Europe, the cost is much higher, ranging from 25–39 million USD. Cecilia Han Springer, who researches the environmental impact of China’s infrastructure policymaking, explains that China’s infrastructure boom is a result of the country’s political will and the ability to mobilize cheap labor and materials sourced from domestic producers. This also contributes to boosting the economy.
China opened its first high-speed rail line from Beijing to Tianjin in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which ran at 350 km/h. David Feng, an independent researcher specializing in China’s high-speed rail network, explains that the network was initially planned as a four-by-four network, with four lines running north to south and four lines running east to west, starting in 2004. However, to cope with the financial crisis in the late 2000s, the plan was revised to extend parts of the four-by-four network. Later, in the mid-2010s, it was decided that this would not be enough, and the whole network would need to be doubled to an eight-by-eight network. However, this requires relocating a large number of people.
China has a reputation for being efficient and ruthless when it comes to relocating residents. If someone refuses to move, they will build around them until they comply. However, relocating people is not the only challenge. Take the example of Germany’s Stuttgart rail station, which was planned in 1995 but is yet to be completed. The project has faced numerous budget and planning problems, including a significant delay caused by the discovery of endangered lizards in the station’s construction area. In 2017, Deutsche Bahn claimed that the project would need to spend 15 million euros to resettle the lizards, which equates to a budget of 2 to 4 thousand euros per lizard. However, China does not face such issues. The Chinese legal code allows the authorities to exercise eminent domain and remove people from their land. While this may not necessarily be good, it has undoubtedly facilitated the development of China’s vast network.
China’s high-speed rail network is one of the largest in the world, with over 10,000 km of track built by 2013. This figure surpasses the total amount currently in use in the whole of Europe. Many of the high-speed rail lines in China are operating at huge financial losses, but this is not a concern for the country as it is more of a political move than an economic one. The project, which is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative, has clear geopolitical goals alongside the economic ones.
The success of China’s high-speed rail network could lead to trains dominating commercial travel in the country, which aligns with China’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2060. Additionally, the country’s airports are consistently ranked as the worst in the world for punctuality, meaning that trains are an even more attractive option for travelers. According to one traveler, flight delays of up to seven hours are common in China, with the military controlling roughly three-quarters of the country’s airspace.
China’s story is far from over. The country plans to double its high-speed network by 2035, taking it to 70,000 km of tracks. Additionally, the government recently introduced its fastest maglev train, which goes up to 600 km/h. This magnetic levitation train is the world’s fastest land vehicle. Unfortunately, other countries may not be able to do the same, especially in Europe, where flights are cheap. As a result, air travel has been on the rise in Europe over the past few years.
The pandemic has severely affected the travel industry, with the rail system being one of the hardest hit. To address this, the European Union launched a campaign to entice travelers back. However, the EU faces a significant challenge due to its fragmented rail system, with 27 countries operating their own rail networks and services. While Europe has its own rail agency, it lacks legal power to regulate projects or enforce deadlines, which makes cross-border coordination of schedules and fares quite complicated. For instance, if you want to travel from Madrid to Rome by high-speed train, you need to take four different trains to get there — from Barcelona to Paris, then to Turin, and finally to Rome. This entire journey takes over 49 hours, and you need to book each leg separately from different providers.
In contrast, Shanghai to Chengdu, which is roughly the same distance as Madrid to Rome, runs on a single high-speed train line and takes only 11 hours. India has a vast rail network, but it doesn’t have a single high-speed line yet. The first planned high-speed line between Mumbai and Ahmedabad has been delayed for five years due to land acquisition issues. In comparison, the US had an excellent network of trains in the past with streamlined trains, diners, lounges, and observation lounges, which was far ahead of its time.
