Rail
Rail is the major mode of transport in China. In 2011 China's railways carried 2,947 billion tonne-kilometers of freight and 961.23 billion Passenger-km, both traffic volumes are the highest in the world. The high volume of traffic that China's railway system carries makes it critical to its economy. Carrying some 24% of the world's railway transport volume on only 6% of the world's railways, the national rail system is modernizing and expanding rapidly and is efficiently within the limits of all available resources. China has the world's third largest rail network, as of 2010 it is 91,000 km (56,545 mi) long, an increase of some 5,000 km (3,107 mi) of track from 2009. About 47% of the network is electrified.
In 2011 China's railway inventory included 19,431 locomotives owned by the national railway system. The inventory in recent times included some 100 steam locomotives, but the last such locomotive, built in 1999, is now in service as a tourist attraction while the others have been retired from commercial service. The remaining locomotives are either diesel or electric powered. Another 352 locomotives are owned by local railroads and 604 operated by joint-venture railways. National railway freight cars numbered 622,284 and passenger coaches 52,130 .
Because of its limited capital, overburdened infrastructure, and need to continuously modernize, the national rail system, which is controlled by the Ministry of Railways through a network of regional divisions, operates on an austere budget. Foreign capital investment in the freight sector was allowed beginning in 2003, and international public stock offerings opened in 2006. In another move to better capitalize and reform the rail system, the Ministry of Railways established three public shareholder-owned companies in 2003: China Railways Container Transport Company, China Railway Special Cargo Service Company, and China Railways Parcel Express Company.
Read more about this topic: Transport In China
Famous quotes containing the word rail:
“For this is the mark of a wise and upright man, not to rail against the gods in misfortune.”
—Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)
“In my conscience I believe the baggage loves me, for she never speaks well of me herself, nor suffers any body else to rail at me.”
—William Congreve (1670–1729)
“If goodness were only a theory, it were a pity it should be lost to the world. There are a number of things, the idea of which is a clear gain to the mind. Let people, for instance, rail at friendship, genius, freedom, as long as they will—the very names of these despised qualities are better than anything else that could be substituted for them, and embalm even the most envenomed satire against them.”
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830)