An aerial drone photo shows a train passing through the Yuandang Lake section of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Huzhou high-speed railway on Dec. 26, 2024. [Photo/Xinhua]

China aims to expand the length of its operating high-speed rail tracks to around 60,000 km by 2030, up from 48,000 km at the end of 2024, data from the country's railway operator showed on Thursday.

As the country continues to improve its railway infrastructure, the operating mileage of its railway network is expected to reach 180,000 km by 2030, up from 162,000 km at the end of 2024, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

China Railway said the country's fixed-asset investment in the railway sector is projected to reach 590 billion yuan (about 82.08 billion U.S. dollars) in 2025, with an estimated 2,600 km of new rail tracks set to become operational within the year.

China's railway network handled a record 4.08 billion passenger trips in 2024, marking a 10.8 percent increase compared to 2023, and this figure is expected to continue rising in 2025, potentially reaching 4.28 billion trips, according to the company.

China's railways transported a total of 3.99 billion tonnes of cargo last year, up 1.9 percent year on year with a rising streak for eight consecutive years.

In 2024, the country's fixed-asset investment in the railway sector grew by 11.3 percent year on year, reaching 850.6 billion yuan, according to China Railway.

Official data also showed that China-Europe freight trains completed 19,000 trips in 2024, transporting 2.07 million twenty-foot equivalent unit (TEU) containers of goods, up 10 percent and 9 percent year on year, respectively.