China has pushed far ahead in railways, it’s time for India to accelerate – Firstpost
China has just cleared a game-changing 523 km new railway line through Central Asia, linking China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, that could eventually be extended to the Middle East, South Asia, and Europe. China has the world’s second-largest rail network, at 155,000 km. This includes 42,000 km of high-speed railway, which is the largest in the world. The network supports the economic development of its hinterland that is much farther away from the economic powerhouse on the east coast.
China has also used its railways for connectivity with its neighbouring countries as part of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). BRI helps China to take its surplus industrial capacity to relatively poor neighbours and also spread its geopolitical influence.
Railways also give huge logistic support to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to move troops, military hardware, and oil and lubricants to border areas, especially in Tibet and Xinjiang. Railways move construction materials for border infrastructure building.
Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan Rail Connect
The proposed new railway line to Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan will help in deepening Chinese ties across Central Asia and beyond. It will connect Kashgar on China’s northwestern frontier with several cities of its two neighbours. The $4.7 billion first phase would be completed by 2030.
Uzbekistan’s route can stretch to Pakistan via Afghanistan. Connecting lines may also be built to extend the railway to Turkmenistan, Iran, and Turkey. It will offer China a faster—and potentially geopolitically useful—alternative to Trans-Eurasia Logistics, a rail route that connects China to Europe via Russia. The rail line would have the advantage of running “straight” to Europe and “avoiding conflicts”, and will reportedly be capable of transporting goods from China to Europe seven or eight days faster than current land routes.
The project will employ a build-operate-transfer model and have a total investment of $8 billion. China owns 51 per cent of the joint venture managing the project, with Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan each taking a 24.5 per cent share. The project will also stem demographic decline in China’s western border regions. It will boost China’s energy ties with Turkmenistan.
China eyes closer ties with Pakistan and Central Asia to offset US sanctions. Khunjerab port, the sole border crossing connecting China and Pakistan in Xinjiang that used to be closed in winters due to adverse weather, started full-year operations recently. Meanwhile, China is pushing forward the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI project.
Cross-Border Rail Linkages
China is a member of the International Union of Railways (UIC). Chinese railways have adopted and begun to implement the GSM-R wireless rail communications standard. China is also a signatory to the Trans-Asian Railway Network Agreement, an initiative of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific to promote the integration of railway networks across Europe and Asia.
Railway connectivity is a major focus of the BRI. As of 2024, multiple BRI railway projects were branded as the China Railways Express, which linked approximately 60 Chinese cities to nearly 50 European cities. The bulk of bilateral freight with Russia goes by rail. Cross-border passenger train services go to destinations in Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and Russia. Also to Hong Kong, Laos, and North Korea. In many cases there are gauge problems involving transshipment at the border. With Vietnam, there is no break of gauge.
China has been promoting the extension of its railway network to neighbouring countries, including the Russian Far East, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East. A high-speed rail link between Hunchun in China and Vladivostok in Russia has been proposed.
China and Nepal are building a railway link connecting Kathmandu to China’s railway network, taking it to Shigatse, Tibet. The construction is in progress.
Since 2007, there has been a proposal to build the Khunjerab Railway, which would cross the Karakoram Mountains and connect Kashgar with Havelian in the Abbottabad District of northern Pakistan. It could then go to the Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.
There has been a proposal to connect Kolkata with Kunming in China via Myanmar through a high-speed rail link. The rail link could use the under-construction railway from Manipur, India, to Myanmar and the Dali–Ruili railway under construction in western Yunnan Province.
Some of the world’s longest train journeys by distance travel through China. The Beijing-Moscow train via Harbin covers 8,984 km in 144 hours. Russia’s Moscow-Vladivostok train that covers 9,259 km in 178 hours is longer. Within China, the longest passenger train services are the Guangzhou-Lhasa (4,980 km, 54 hours), Shanghai-Yining (4,742 km, 55 hours), Guangzhou-Ürümqi (4,684 km, 49 hours), and Harbin-Haikou (4,458 km, 65 hours). The Beijing West–Kunming South train (2,760 km, approx. 11 hours) is the longest high-speed rail service in the world.
The world’s longest freight rail service runs from Yiwu, Zhejiang, in eastern China, to Madrid, Spain, a journey of 13,000 km (8,100 mi) over three weeks.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway is the world’s highest train line. The so-called “Sky Train” climbs to an elevation of 5,702 m at the “roof of the world”. It stretches across the Himalayan table-top plateau for almost 2,000 km, from Xining in central China to Lhasa, in Tibet. Over 960 km of track is more than 4,000 m (13,123 ft) above sea level.
Construction began on the 815 km section between Xining and Golmud in 1958 and was completed in 1984. The remaining 1,142 km from Golmud to Lhasa construction started in 2001, and the line opened in 2006. Lhasa is 3,700 km from Beijing and just 284 km from the nearest foreign capital, Thimphu, Bhutan. One-seventh of the line’s roughly 2,000 km route is built on bridges.
Construction was an engineering marvel, considering it has the largest permafrost after the Arctic, and it freezes in the winter but becomes boggy swampland in the summer. The Tanggula Pass, at 5,702 m (16,640 ft), marks the highest rail point in the world. Tanggula railway station, at 5,068 m (16,627 ft), is the world’s highest railway station. The 1,338 m (4,390 ft) long Fenghuoshan tunnel is the highest rail tunnel in the world at 4,905 m (16,093 ft) above sea level. The temperature often drops to -20 degrees Celsius at night.
Six rail lines connect to the Qinghai–Tibet railway, including from Lhasa to Nyingchi and from Lhasa to Shigatse, both in Tibet. Three lines will originate from Golmud in Qinghai province and run to Chengdu in Sichuan province, Dunhuang in Gansu province, and Korla of Xinjiang. The sixth will link Xining, the capital of Qinghai, with Zhangye in Gansu. A further extension is planned to link Shigatse with Yadong near the China-India border. The Dunhuang–Golmud railway establishes a direct connection between Xinjiang and Tibet. China and Nepal signed an agreement for the construction of Shigatse-Kathmandu. Construction of the railway from Shigatse to Gyirong, which is on the way towards Kathmandu, is expected to start in 2025.
Bombardier Transportation built 361 high-altitude passenger carriages with special enriched-oxygen and UV-protection systems. Fifty-three are luxury sleeper carriages for tourist services.
Railways for PLA Transportation
The PLA uses the railway system to transport personnel, supplies, and conventional and strategic arms. The military also used to play a more prominent role in railway development and management. The PLA’s Railway Construction Corps, in the 1950s-1970s, built many of the railroads in the Southwest. It became a civilian company in 1984 and is now China Railway Construction Corporation. For a time during the Cultural Revolution, the entire Railway Ministry was placed under the PLA’s command.
Security and Supply Chain Advantages
The rail links to Xinjiang and Tibet are meant to boost hinterland connectivity, support military infrastructure, and improve supply chains and energy security. The railway networks are part of the ‘major national strategies’. Connectivity to the western regions also serves as a gateway for Central Asian and European trade. Those in Tibet are crucial for securing the border with India.
China’s High-Speed Railways Network
China’s high-speed rail (HSR) network covers over 45,000 kilometres, linking all of its major megacity clusters. It is the world’s largest and most actively used, offering affordable fares and reduced travel times. China has two-thirds of the world’s total HSR infrastructure, achieved in just over a decade.
HSR trains require specialised technology and infrastructure designed specifically to support high-speed operations. The trains travel at speeds between 200 and 350 km/hr and require four to six locomotives instead of the normal one. HSR connects 33 out of the 34 provinces. Though facing financial challenges, the HSR system continues to expand and improve, leveraging advanced technology.
The HSR idea was first driven by then Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping. Train speeds were increased in six phases, beginning with track upgrades. China leveraged technology transfer agreements with foreign companies like Kawasaki of Japan and Siemens of Germany to begin its HSR program. Siemens also supported building initial rail lines and a large number of trains. Thereafter, localised production facilitated the rapid expansion of China’s HSR manufacturing sector. The first HSR line, the Beijing-Tianjin route, became operational in August 2008. The introduction of the Fuxing series of trains in 2017 took the speed to 350 km/h.
The cost of HSR track is estimated to be around $16 million (Rs 135 crore) per kilometre, requiring significant investment to build more lines. Interestingly, it costs Rs 20 crore per km to lay a six-lane expressway in India, not including the cost of acquiring land, etc.
China has much lower HSR construction costs compared to the West. Standardisation of design, lower labour costs, and the scale of the network reduced the overall costs. Yet HSR is facing significant financial burdens in the form of limited profitability and high debt servicing. Despite the financial challenges, the government continues to prioritise new construction.
Chinese President Xi Jinping feels HSR is a powerful tool for social cohesion, political influence, and the integration of disparate regions with distinct cultures into the mainstream. On some routes, more than 80 per cent of the track is elevated. More than 100 tunnels, each over 10 kilometres, have been constructed. China is reportedly operating more than 9,600 high-speed trains per day, including the world’s only high-speed overnight sleeper services on selected longer-distance routes. Speeds will soon go up to 400 km/h. Up to a distance of 1,200 kilometres, HSR works better than airlines. HSR plays a crucial role in China’s urbanisation strategy by serving as a vital transport backbone. The network is expected to be 70,000 kilometres by 2035.
Recently, China has sharply increased fares for four major bullet train lines to address rising costs and heavy debts. Efforts are being made to introduce freight. China is currently employing artificial intelligence to manage and maintain its HSR network. Already there are driverless “bullet trains”.
China has done high-speed railway projects for Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand. After years of delays and cost overruns, Indonesia has just opened its $7.3 billion, China-supported, first HSR link. China is supporting Pakistan to increase train speed to 160 km/h. It has more prospective customers in Asia and Africa.
Efforts are on to further increase speed. The Shanghai Maglev train, the fastest in the world, is recording a speed of 431 km/hr. The train was produced in Germany through a joint venture between Siemens and Thyssenkrupp.
All is Not Hunky Dory
In Hungary, funding from China to build the Budapest-Belgrade railway project was halted last month because Chinese contractors were unable to deliver EU-standard railway systems. Many countries, like Laos, are unable to service even the interest, let alone the debt. Chinese financial transparency has been questioned.
Where is India?
Indian Railways is the fourth largest national railway system by size, with a track length of 132,310 km. The US, China, and Russia are the top three, in that order. With more than 1.2 million employees, it is the world’s ninth-largest employer and India’s second-largest employer.
Indian Railways operated 13,523 trains on average daily, covering 7,325 stations and carrying 9.0 billion passengers. It transports nearly 1500 million tonnes of freight. India became the global leader in sustainable rail transport with 96.5 percent track electrification.
Vande Bharat Express trains, launched in 2019, are currently the fastest, operating at 160 km/h. A high-speed rail line is under construction between Mumbai and Ahmedabad, which will become the first true high-speed rail line when completed in 2026.
The 338 km Jammu–Baramulla rail line will connect to the Kashmir Valley and will be inaugurated on January 26, 2026. The 359 m (1,178 ft) high Chenab Bridge is the highest railway bridge in the world.
The North Eastern Railway Connectivity Project is a multi-phased railway connectivity project covering Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura, and it also includes the state of Sikkim. This project is considered strategically important for connecting all the Border States in this region and also later to ASEAN countries.
Presently, there are five rail links between Bangladesh and India that are operational. Moreh (Manipur, India)—Tamu (Myanmar) route is considered part of Trans-Asian rail connectivity. Currently India is building the Jiribam–Imphal–Moreh railway line. The Jaynagar–Bardibas railway line is a semi-operational line between India and Nepal. DEMU passenger service is in operation on this route. Currently, two rail routes exist between India and Pakistan. However, the passenger train services are cancelled until further orders.
The Indian Railways is looking to connect the North East with the rest of the country through two neighbouring countries—Bangladesh and Nepal—thereby reducing travel time to the region. Boat Mail was a passenger train service between India and Sri Lanka. However, the train currently runs till Rameswaram in India.
Clearly, India has a long way more to go for connectivity in sensitive border states like Arunachal and Ladakh.
To Summarise
China has made huge investments in its railway network. This has brought economic benefits and also supported (forced) integration of the two largest provinces, Xinjiang and Tibet, which were historically independent regions. China is taking further actions to step up construction of these strategic railroad links. China is able to exercise greater control over these two regions, which continue to have separatist movements. These rail links have allowed building military infrastructure and settlements in areas across India’s Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. They will also support quick military mobilisation during conflict situations. Rail links to Nepal will increase India’s movements and influence both.
India had inherited a large rail network at independence. But for long, the strategic thought in India was not to increase border connectivity. This has changed in the last decade. Road and rail infrastructure to border areas is being pushed. But a lot more still needs to be done. India’s fledgling HSR project will be operational only in 2026. India must work towards connecting all major metro cities with high-speed rail, and border connectivity in Ladakh and Arunachal needs more investments.
The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.
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