China to build about 15,000 km of railways, including 10,000 km high-speed, during 15th Five-Year Plan period

Xia Xin, director of the Infrastructure Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said at a press conference in Beijing on November 4 that China will build about 15,000 kilometers of railways during the 15th Five-Year Plan period, including about 10,000 kilometers of high-speed rail, and basically achieve railway modernization goals. The plan also targets an additional 220 million tons of railway freight capacity, development of 400-kilometer-per-hour high-speed rail construction and operating technology and standards, about 2,500 kilometers of national high-grade waterways, and more than 100 automated berths of 10,000 tons or above. In civil aviation, new airports will be completed in Hohhot, Xiamen and Dalian, and new airports will be built in Guangzhou and Nantong, with preliminary work advancing on airports including Sanya.