China to build about 15,000 km of new railway during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period

On November 4, 2026, Xia Xin, Director of the Infrastructure Development Department of the National Development and Reform Commission, said in Beijing that during the "15th Five-Year Plan" period China will build about 15,000 km of new railway, of which about 10,000 km will be high-speed railway, basically achieving the goal of railway modernization. On the railway side, it will also accelerate the building of a complete set of technology and standards for the construction and operation of 400 km/h high-speed rail, and strive to add 220 million tons of freight volume. On the civil aviation side, it will complete new airports in Hohhot, Xiamen and Dalian, build new airports in Guangzhou and Nantong, and advance preliminary work on new airports including Sanya. The above content is a planning statement; the report does not mention specific start-of-construction dates, investment scale or year-by-year arrangements.