China Increasing Investment in High-Speed Rail and Maglev, in Push for Domestic Consumption

Aug. 13, 2020 (EIRNS)—China has announced its new rail construction program. The government plans to build 200,000 km of rail by 2035, about one-third of which will be high-speed rail: All cities with a population of 200,000 or more will be connected by rail, and all cities with 500,000 people or more will be connected by high-speed rail. China is also working on the next generation maglev train that could travel at speeds of 600 kph.

“The development of high-speed maglev can help China seize the leading rail transit technology and maintain the country’s advantage in the field of high-speed rail,” said Wu Donghua, deputy chief engineer from CRRC Qingdao Sifang, which built the prototypes. “The maglev train is currently the fastest available ground public transport vehicle.... The 600 kph maglev train would fill a gap between high-speed rail and airplanes.”

China’s major construction is also a part of the government’s efforts to shift more production to the domestic consumption market in the light of possible boycotts in the international market.