China's National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has issued the 13th Five-Year Development Plan for China's railways, stating that by 2020 China’s operating railway mileage will reach 150,000 kilometers, with 30,000 kilometers of high-speed railway. The railway network will cover cities with populations of more than 200,000, while high-speed railway will cover 80 percent of big cities in China.
In addition, the percentage of passenger volume transported by high-speed railway will reach 65 percent of the overall transportation volume. Rail travel from Beijing to most provincial capitals will take 2-8 hours.