Editing Transport in China

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{{About||transport in Taiwan|Transportation in Taiwan}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2021}}

{{Multiple image
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| image1            = Donghai Bridge.jpg
| caption1          = The [[Donghai Bridge]] is [[List of longest bridges in the world|one of the longest bridges]] in the world.
| image2            = PEK T3 morning.jpg
| caption2          = [[Beijing Capital International Airport]], one of the [[World's busiest airport|busiest]] airports in Asia.
| image3            = A maglev train coming out, Pudong International Airport, Shanghai.jpg
| caption3          = The [[Transrapid]] [[Shanghai maglev train]], with a top speed of 431 km/h (268 mph). It is the first and only commercial [[high-speed train|high-speed]] [[magnetic levitation train|maglev]] line in the world.
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'''Transport in [[China]]''' has experienced major growth and expansion in recent years. Although China's transport system comprises a vast network of transport nodes across its huge territory, the nodes tend to concentrate in the more economically developed coastal areas and inland cities along major rivers.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Fengbo |first1=Zhang |title=Economic Analysis of Chinese Transportation |url=http://sites.google.com/site/chinesetransportation1/}}</ref> The physical state and comprehensiveness of China's transport infrastructure tend to vary widely by [[Geography of China|geography]]. While remote, rural areas still largely depend on non-mechanized means of transport, urban areas boast a wide variety of modern options, including a [[maglev]] system connecting the city center of [[Shanghai]] with [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport]]. Airports, roads, and railway construction will provide a massive employment boost in China over the next decade.

Much of contemporary China's transport systems have been built since the establishment of the People's Republic in 1949. The [[Rail transport|railway]], which is the primary mode of long distance [[transport]], has seen rapid growth reaching {{convert|139000|km|0|abbr=on}} of railway lines making it the second longest network in the world (2016).<ref name="Yearbook">[http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2016/html/1604EN.jpg ''China Statistical Yearbook 2016'' "Length of Transport Routes at Year-end by Region (2015)"] Accessed 2017-02-16</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Factbox: Highlights of China's comprehensive transport network - Xinhua {{!}} English.news.cn|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-12/22/c_139610426.htm|access-date=2021-01-11|website=www.xinhuanet.com}}</ref> Prior to 1950, there were only {{convert|21800|km|0|abbr=on}} of railway lines. The extensive rail network includes the [[High-speed rail by country|longest and busiest HSR network in the world]] with {{convert|35000|km|0|abbr=on}} of [[High-speed rail in China|high-speed lines]] by year end 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/02/c_136867206.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180102133528/http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-01/02/c_136867206.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 2, 2018|title=China's high-speed rail tracks to hit 38,000 km by 2025- Xinhua {{!}} English.news.cn|website=news.xinhuanet.com|language=en-US|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> While rail travel remained the most popular form of intercity transport, air travel has also experienced significant growth since the late 1990s. Major airports such as [[Beijing Capital International Airport|Beijing Capital International]] and [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport|Shanghai Pudong International]] being among the busiest in the world. At the end of 2017,<ref name="corg"/> there are some 34 [[Urban rail transit in China|metro]] systems in operation across China, including some of the largest and busiest subway networks in the world. Of the 12 largest metro networks in the world by length, [[List of metro systems|seven are now]] in China.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thetransportpolitic.com/2018/01/17/in-response-to-growth-chinese-cities-choose-metros/|title=In response to growth, Chinese cities choose metros|date=2018-01-17|work=The Transport Politic|access-date=2018-07-31|language=en-US}}</ref> Additionally, many [[bus rapid transit]], [[light rail]] and [[rapid transit]] lines are currently under construction, or in the planning stages across the country. The [[highway]] and [[road]] system also has gone through rapid expansion, resulting in a rapid increase of [[motor vehicle]] use throughout China. A government-led effort started in the 90s to connect the country by expressways via the [[National Trunk Highway System]] has expanded the network to about {{convert|97000|km|0|abbr=on}} by the end of 2012<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-01/16/content_9331001.htm| title = Chinese highways for fast traffic add up to {{convert|65000|km|0|abbr=on}} - Chinadaily<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref> making China's the longest expressway network in the world.

==History==
{{Main|History of transport in China}}
China is in the midst of a massive upgrade of its [[transport]] [[infrastructure]]. Until recently, China's economy was able to continue to grow despite deficiencies in infrastructure development. This is no longer the case, and the government realizes that to keep the economy moving forward, they need an efficient system in place to move goods and people across the country. According to [[World Bank]] statistics, goods lost due to poor or obsolete transport infrastructure amounted to one percent of China's GDP as recently as the most current survey (mid-1990s). [[Logistics|Logistic]] costs account for 20% of a product's price in China, compared to 10% in the [[Transportation in the United States|United States]], and 5% in other developed countries.

[[Port]]s are being improved for greater use of China's [[waterway]]s, and [[airport]]s are being improved across the country. Related industries such as construction equipment, engineering, container security, and electronics and safety devices have also grown rapidly.

==Regulation==

===Mainland China===
Transport in mainland China is regulated by a new agency formed from the [[Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China|Ministry of Transport]], the [[Ministry of Railways (China)|Ministry of Railways]], the [[Civil Aviation Administration of China]].

===Special administrative regions===
{{main|Transport in Hong Kong|Transport in Macau}}
The aforementioned transport authorities have no [[jurisdiction]] in [[Hong Kong]] and [[Macau]]. Hong Kong's transport is regulated by the [[Transport Department (Hong Kong)|Transport Department of Hong Kong]], whereas Macau's transport is regulated by the Transport Bureau of Macau.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.dsat.gov.mo/dsat/subpage.aspx?a_id=1614843856 |access-date=2023-06-03 |website=Transport Bureau}}</ref>

==Rail==
{{Main|Rail transport in China|Passenger rail transport in China|High-speed rail in China|List of railways in China}}
[[File:Rail map of PRC.svg|thumb|Current railway network in China, including HSR lines]]

Rail is the major mode of transport in China. In 2019, railways in China delivered 3.660 billion passenger trips, generating 1,470.66 billion passenger-kilometres and carried 4.389 billion tonnes of freight, generating 3,018 billion cargo tonne-kilometres;<ref name="2014 stats">(Chinese) [https://www.mot.gov.cn/tongjishuju/tielu/202005/t20200511_3323807.html 2019 年铁道统计公报 - 2019 Railway statistical bulletin]</ref> both traffic volumes are among the highest in the world. The high volume of traffic that China's railway system carries makes it critical to China's [[Economy of China|economy]]. China's railway system carries 24% of the world's railway transport volume on only 6% of the world's railways. China has the world's second longest railway network; as of 2020 it is {{convert|146300|km|0|abbr=on}} long.<ref>{{Cite web|title="十三五"期间全国铁路营业里程增加到14.63万公里-中新网|url=http://www.chinanews.com/gn/2021/01-04/9378115.shtml|access-date=2021-04-24|website=www.chinanews.com}}</ref> About 71.9% of the network is electrified in 2019.<ref name="2014 stats" />

In 2011 China's railway inventory included 19,431 [[locomotive]]s<ref name="ChinaMOR2011">{{cite web|title=Railway Statistical Bulletin for 2011|url=http://www.china-mor.gov.cn/zwzc/tjxx/zyzb/201202/t20120215_29645.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218030609/http://www.china-mor.gov.cn/zwzc/tjxx/zyzb/201202/t20120215_29645.html|archive-date=February 18, 2012|access-date=February 15, 2012|publisher=Ministry of Railway, People's Republic of China}}</ref> owned by the national railway system. The inventory in recent times included some 100 [[steam locomotive]]s, but the last such locomotive, built in 1999, is now in service as a [[Tourism in China|tourist attraction]] while the others have been retired from commercial service. The remaining locomotives are either [[Diesel locomotive|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<ref name="ChinaMOR2011" /> and passenger coaches 52,130
.<ref name="ChinaMOR2011" />

Because of its limited capital, overburdened infrastructure, and need to continuously modernize, the national rail system, which is controlled by the [[Ministry of Railways (China)|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.

In recent decades, rail use in China has seen significant growth in the volume of goods and passengers transported. Since 1980, the volume of goods transported (metric tons times kilometers traveled) has increased by 305% and the volume of passengers (million passengers times kilometers traveled) has increased by 485%.<ref name="ChinaRail2015">{{cite web|url=https://vizala.com/Country/China/Infrastructure/Key-Metrics/Annual-Trends|title=China Infrastructure Trends|work=Vizala.com|access-date=2016-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816180332/https://vizala.com/Country/China/Infrastructure/Key-Metrics/Annual-Trends|archive-date=2016-08-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> During this same time period, total length of rail lines has only increased by 34%.<ref name="ChinaRail2015" />

=== Statistics<ref name="ChinaRail2015" /> ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-hei
!  !!  1980  !!  1990  !!  2000  !!  2010  !!  2014 !! 2015!! 2017
|-
|  Rail lines (total route-km)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IS.RRS.TOTL.KM?locations=CN|title=Rail lines (total route-km) {{!}} Data|website=data.worldbank.org|language=en-us|access-date=2017-08-04}}</ref>  ||  49,940  ||  53,378  ||  58,656  ||  66,239  ||  66,989 || || 
|-
|  Goods transported on railways (metric tons times kilometers traveled)  ||  570,732  ||  1,060,100  ||  1,333,606  ||  2,451,185  ||  2,308,669 || || 
|-
|  Passengers carried on railways (million passengers times kilometers traveled)  ||  138,037  ||  263,530  ||  441,468  ||  791,158  ||  807,065 || ||
|- 
|  Urban rail transit (kilometers)<ref name="corg">{{Cite web|url=http://www.china.org.cn/china/2018-04/10/content_50856481.htm|title=Beijing's rail transit handles biggest passenger volume in China- China.org.cn|website=www.china.org.cn}}</ref> || || || || || || || 5,033
|- 
|  Subway (kilometers)<ref name="corg"/> || || || || || || || 3,844
|-
|  Urban rail transit under construction (kilometers)<ref name="corg"/> || || || || || || || 6,246
|-  
|  [[Bus rapid transit]] (kilometers)<ref name="wribrt">{{Cite web |url=https://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/bus-rapid-transit-in-china_1.pdf |title=Bus rapid transit in China: a comparison of design features with international systems |access-date=2018-04-25 |archive-date=2017-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210013004/http://www.wri.org/sites/default/files/bus-rapid-transit-in-china_1.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> || || || || || || 2,991 ||
|}

===Regional development===
[[File:中国西藏拉萨市 China Lhasa Tibet China Xinjiang Urumqi Welcome - panoramio (78).jpg|thumb|Lhasa railway station]]
{{Main|Qingzang railway}}
[[File:Qingzang railway Train 01.jpg|thumb|A train pulled by an [[China Railways NJ2|NJ2]] [[diesel locomotive|locomotive]] travels on the [[Qingzang railway]] in 2008.]]

In 1992, a new large-scale rail project was launched in China, called the "New Silk Road" or "Eurasian Continental Bridge" project. The project involved the modernization and infrastructure development of a {{convert|4131|km|0|abbr=on}} railroad route starting in [[Lianyungang]], [[Jiangsu]], and traveling through central and northwestern China to [[Urumqi]], [[Xinjiang]], to the [[Dzungarian Gate|Alataw Pass]] into [[Kazakhstan]]. From that point, the railroad links to some {{convert|6800|km|0|abbr=on}} of routes that end in [[Rotterdam]].

China also has established rail links between seaports and interior export-processing zones. For example, in 2004 [[Chengdu]] in [[Sichuan]] was linked to the [[Special economic zones of China|Shenzhen Special Economic Zone]] in coastal [[Guangdong]]; exports clear [[customs]] in Chengdu and are shipped twice daily by rail to the seaport at [[Shenzhen]] for fast delivery.

====Tibet====
A {{convert|1080|km|0|abbr=on}} section of the [[Qingzang railway]] has been completed from [[Golmud]] to [[Lhasa (prefecture-level city)|Lhasa]]. The {{convert|815|km|0|abbr=on}} section from [[Xining]] to Golmud in [[Qinghai]] opened to traffic in 1984. The railway's highest point, the [[Tanggula Mountain Pass]], is 5,072 m above sea level, making it the highest railway in the world. More than {{convert|960|km|0|abbr=on}}, or over four-fifths of the railway, is at an altitude of more than 4,000 m, and over half of it was laid on frozen earth. Because of the high altitudes, carriages are supplied with supplemental [[oxygen]].

Linking [[Lhasa (prefecture-level city)|Lhasa]] and [[Shigatse]] together in [[Tibet]], the construction of a {{convert|254|km|0|abbr=on}} extension line of the [[Qingzang railway]] started in 2009 with completion expected by 2014.

===High-speed rail===
[[File:CR400BF-GZ-5203 and 5143 at Xidian (20210907094248).jpg|thumb|High speed train passing the [[Beijing central business district]]]]
{{Main|High-speed rail in China}}

The high-speed service is mainly operated by [[China Railway High-speed]]. HSR developed rapidly in China over the past 15 years thanks to generous funding from the Chinese government. With ridership exceeding 1.44 billion in 2016, China's HSR service was the most heavily used in the world.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.railjournal.com/index.php/financial/china-railway-sets-out-2017-targets.html|title=China Railway sets out 2017 targets|last=Smith|first=Kevin|access-date=2017-01-04}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-07/21/c_135530835.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722130437/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2016-07/21/c_135530835.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 22, 2016|title=China Exclusive: Five bln trips made on China's bullet trains - Xinhua {{!}} English.news.cn|website=news.xinhuanet.com|access-date=2016-08-08}}</ref> In 2016, the network is the [[List of high-speed railway lines|longest in the world]] and accounted for about two-thirds of the world's high-speed rail tracks<ref name="Xinhua 2017-02-19">{{cite news|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-02/19/c_136068507.htm|title=China to start construction on 35 railway projects: report|date=February 19, 2017|agency=Xinhua}}</ref> and operated with 2,595 high-speed trains, accounting for about 60 percent of all global high-speed trains.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-06/30/c_136407699.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630175309/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-06/30/c_136407699.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 30, 2017|title=China puts nearly 2,600 high-speed trains into operation by 2016 - Xinhua {{!}} English.news.cn|website=news.xinhuanet.com|access-date=2017-07-02}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=January 2021|reason=The total length of highspeed lines has significantly grown since to 35,000 km as of 2020}}

===Maglev===
{{Main|Maglev}}
China also has the world's first commercial high-speed maglev (magnetic levitation) service, [[Shanghai Maglev Train]] (the first maglev service opened at Birmingham International Airport, United Kingdom, in 1984; however, it was not high-speed). The Chinese project, a Sino-German joint venture, was a 38-km-long route between downtown [[Shanghai]] and the [[Pudong airport]] that opened in 2003. The project cost US$1.2 billion.<ref>{{cite news| url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1122916,00.html| title = Probably the world's fastest train| newspaper = The Guardian| date = 15 January 2004| last1 = Dodson| first1 = Sean}}</ref> Low speed commuter maglevs using ingenious technology have opened in Changsha ([[Changsha Maglev]]) and Beijing ([[Line S1, Beijing Subway]]).

In January 2021 a prototype for a new high-speed maglev train capable of {{convert|620|kph|mph|abbr=on}} was unveiled. Developed by [[Southwest Jiaotong University]] near Chengdu, Professor He Chuan, vice president of the university, told reporters that the train is scheduled to be operational within 3–10 years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Marcus|first=Lilit|date=18 January 2021|title=China debuts train prototype that can hit speeds of 620 kilometers per hour|url=https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/china-high-speed-maglev-train-intl-hnk/index.html}}</ref> In July 2021 the [[CRRC]] unveiled a four-car {{convert|600|kph|mph|abbr=on}} maglev train.<ref>{{cite news |title=China unveils new 600 km/h ultra-fast maglev train |url=https://newatlas.com/transport/china-fastest-maglev-train/ |access-date=21 July 2021 |publisher=New Atlas |date=21 July 2021}}</ref> Long test tracks are being developed to test the vehicles.

===Railway links with adjoining countries===
The two railway links China have with a neighboring country that does not have a [[break of gauge]] is with [[Transport in North Korea|North Korea]] and [[Transport in Vietnam|Vietnam]]. China also has links with [[Transport in Kazakhstan|Kazakhstan]], [[Transport in Mongolia|Mongolia]] and [[Transport in Russia|Russia]], which all use the {{RailGauge|1520mm}} gauge, and with [[Transport in Vietnam|Vietnam]], where the {{RailGauge|1000mm}} gauge is still in use. The [[Trans-Siberian Railway]], which crosses [[Russia]], has a branch that sweeps down from [[Ulan-Ude]], across [[Mongolia]], and on to [[Beijing]].

China does not have a direct rail link with [[Afghanistan]], [[Bhutan]], [[India]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Nepal]], [[Pakistan]] or [[Tajikistan]], but is currently planning links with [[Laos]] and [[India]] (via [[Myanmar]]).

[[Variable gauge|Variable-gauge-axle]] trains are sometimes used to overcome the [[break of gauge]] with neighboring countries. The mainland is also linked to [[Hong Kong]], but not with [[Macau]], although a Macau link is planned.

===Urban Rail===

==== Rapid Transit ====
{{Main|Urban rail transit in China}}
[[File:North facade of Zhangguozhuang Station (20230609160056).jpg|thumb|215x215px|[[Zhangguozhuang station]] on [[Line 14 (Beijing Subway)|Line 14, Beijing Subway]]]]

As of 2025, there are at least 50 rapid transit systems in mainland China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=马文华 |title=图表：我国城市轨道交通运营里程突破1万公里__中国政府网 |url=https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/jiedu/tujie/202401/content_6925789.htm |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.gov.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lin |first=Dong |last2=Nelson |first2=John D. |last3=Beecroft |first3=Mark |last4=Cui |first4=Jianqiang |date=2021-05-01 |title=An overview of recent developments in China’s metro systems |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0886779820307379 |journal=Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology |volume=111 |pages=103783 |doi=10.1016/j.tust.2020.103783 |issn=0886-7798|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-03-24 |title=China Metro: The Ultimate Guide for Foreign Visitors |url=https://www.registrationchina.com/articles/china-metro/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |language=en-US}}</ref> While it is difficult to gauge the number of systems and lines under construction or being planned at any given time, the rapid development of mass rapid transit in China suggests that new metro systems, lines, and extensions are constantly emerging and being rapidly developed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chinese metro expansion reaches new climax |url=https://www.mainspring.co.uk/industry-news/chinese-metro-expansion-reaches-new-climax/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.mainspring.co.uk |language=en-gb}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Simmons |first=Mark |date=2024-10-10 |title=China adds over 217km to metro networks |url=https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/metros/china-adds-over-217km-to-metro-networks/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=International Railway Journal |language=en-GB}}</ref> Today, China boasts nine of the world's [[List of metro systems|ten longest metro systems]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2024世界十大最长地铁排名出炉，中国城市占据9席 |url=http://www.360doc.com/content/24/0313/11/75017515_1117030461.shtml |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.360doc.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-02-16 |title=🚇全球最长地铁线路Top1 |url=https://mbd.baidu.com/newspage/data/dtlandingsuper?nid=dt_3906412798462564464&c_source=kunlun_dt&c_score=0.999000&p_tk=2788xzirJR8MEzoUoi0rXYK/hZLStaMNqkbA7xsJHvpbJg2oEji0QHej6wO2g/6ZMJ83zVKausVz3MzpYm6Su/%2BpxEs04CsRADqblG9V9asmJo5Frow23ShH2avGJnKvDoZ/%2BvkOJEiOXPUnlPXeBGFL7DtSTEoqkhqkBkh25PiMX1M%3D&p_timestamp=1739682751&p_sign=d164da7977d18b22dd21cbbd108ecf2a&p_signature=bef6285d865cba1c5117dc916d452956&__pc2ps_ab=2788xzirJR8MEzoUoi0rXYK/hZLStaMNqkbA7xsJHvpbJg2oEji0QHej6wO2g/6ZMJ83zVKausVz3MzpYm6Su/%2BpxEs04CsRADqblG9V9asmJo5Frow23ShH2avGJnKvDoZ/%2BvkOJEiOXPUnlPXeBGFL7DtSTEoqkhqkBkh25PiMX1M%3D%7C1739682751%7Cbef6285d865cba1c5117dc916d452956%7Cd164da7977d18b22dd21cbbd108ecf2a |archive-url=https://archive.today/20250216051259/https://mbd.baidu.com/newspage/data/dtlandingsuper?nid=dt_3906412798462564464&c_source=kunlun_dt&c_score=0.999000&p_tk=2788xzirJR8MEzoUoi0rXYK/hZLStaMNqkbA7xsJHvpbJg2oEji0QHej6wO2g/6ZMJ83zVKausVz3MzpYm6Su/%2BpxEs04CsRADqblG9V9asmJo5Frow23ShH2avGJnKvDoZ/%2BvkOJEiOXPUnlPXeBGFL7DtSTEoqkhqkBkh25PiMX1M%3D&p_timestamp=1739682751&p_sign=d164da7977d18b22dd21cbbd108ecf2a&p_signature=bef6285d865cba1c5117dc916d452956&__pc2ps_ab=2788xzirJR8MEzoUoi0rXYK/hZLStaMNqkbA7xsJHvpbJg2oEji0QHej6wO2g/6ZMJ83zVKausVz3MzpYm6Su/%2BpxEs04CsRADqblG9V9asmJo5Frow23ShH2avGJnKvDoZ/%2BvkOJEiOXPUnlPXeBGFL7DtSTEoqkhqkBkh25PiMX1M%3D%7C1739682751%7Cbef6285d865cba1c5117dc916d452956%7Cd164da7977d18b22dd21cbbd108ecf2a |url-status=dead |archive-date=2025-02-16 |access-date=2025-02-16 }}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=网易 |date=2024-11-12 |title=2024世界地铁里程50强市：中国28城上榜，武汉超纽约，大连超巴黎 |url=https://www.163.com/dy/article/JGQAN0QR055621RT.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.163.com}}</ref> Furthermore, of the 50 longest metro systems in the world, 26 are in mainland China; [[MTR|Hong Kong]] and [[Taipei Metro|Taipei]] also make the list.<ref name=":2" /> The [[Shanghai Metro]] only started operating in 1993 and has since expanded to be the world's longest or second-longest subway system, trading places only with the [[Beijing Subway]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ode to the Shanghai Metro - Phoebe Lemon |url=https://www.nyuad.design/essay/ode-to-the-shanghai-metro |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.nyuad.design |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Shanghai Metro: from nothing to world leader |url=https://www.shine.cn/feature/lifestyle/1809081811/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=SHINE |language=en}}</ref> In Mainland China, 23 urban rail lines are expected to start construction in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=总投资2000多亿元！2025年城市轨道交通预计开工23条线路 |url=https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MjM5NTEwNDM3NQ==&mid=2653142260&idx=3&sn=8f120e1a6f7eaac84c20568716695913&chksm=bcca227af77a079d3934dcdcf373e8f5b888b6958617a244799b4ffa4f4dce6948790d0fd319&scene=27 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Weixin Official Accounts Platform}}</ref>

[[File:20140820上海地铁11号线AC16列车进入南翔站.jpg|thumb|215x215px|A [[Line 11 (Shanghai Metro)|Line 11]] train arriving at [[Nanxiang station (Shanghai Metro)|Nanxiang station]] of [[Shanghai Metro]].]]
[[File:Caihongqiao Station Concourse 20221229 Part 1.jpg|thumb|215x215px|[[Caihongqiao station]] of [[Line 8 (Guangzhou Metro)|Line 8, Guangzhou Metro]]]]

==== Light Rail/Tram ====
{{Main|Trams in China}}Several cities in China had tram systems during the 20th century; however, by the end of the century, only [[Trams in Dalian|Dalian]], [[Hong Kong Tramways|Hong Kong]] and [[Changchun Tram|Changchun]] remained. Since 2010, then new tram systems opened in [[Qingdao Tram|Qingdao]], [[Guangzhou Trams|Guangzhou]], [[Trams in Shenzhen|Shenzhen]], [[Trams in Shenyang|Shenyang]], [[Trams in Suzhou|Suzhou]], [[Trams in Zhuhai|Zhuhai]], and [[Trams in Huai'an|Huai'an]].

[[File:MTR North Point station (1).jpg|thumb|215x215px|[[North Point station]] on [[Island line (MTR)|Island line, MTR]]]]

In 2016 a Chinese firm developed the [[Autonomous Rail Rapid Transit]] system which has been described as a crossover between a [[train]], a [[bus]] and a [[tram]] and is commonly called a "trackless tram".<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a26782/china-built-a-self-driving-something/|title=China Built a Self-Driving... Something|date=2017-06-06|work=Popular Mechanics|access-date=2017-07-26|language=en}}</ref> As of 2021 the system has four lines in operation and is being considered for a number of other locations around the country.

==== Monorail ====
China has installed a number of straddle-type rubber-tyred monorail systems since 2005. The longest monorail line in the world, at {{convert|66.2|km|mi|abbr=on}}, is [[Line 3 (Chongqing Rail Transit)|Line 3]] located in [[Chongqing]]. A large number of other transit systems are under construction, as well as tourist lines using [[suspension railway|suspended monorail]] technology.

====Suburban and commuter rail systems====
China's passenger railways are mostly used for medium- and long-distance travel, with few trains stopping anywhere but at major stations in center cities. [[Commuter rail]] systems, characteristic of large European and North American cities, were initially uncommon in China. Instead radial suburban metro lines ([[Line 16 (Shanghai Metro)|Shanghai Metro Line 16]], [[Line 9 (Tianjin Metro)|Binhai Mass Transit Line 9]], [[Guangfo Metro]], etc.) were mostly fulfilling that role. However a number of high-speed regional networks such as the [[Chengdu–Dujiangyan Intercity Railway|Chengdu–Dujiangyan ICR]], [[Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Intercity Railway|Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan ICR]], [[Pearl River Delta Rapid Transit]], and [[Wuhan Metropolitan Area Intercity Railway]] have recently started providing commuter services.

====Rail transit in Hong Kong SAR====
{{Main|MTR}}

[[Hong Kong]] [[MTR|Mass Transit Railway]] was planned, designed, constructed and opened under [[British Hong Kong|British administration]]; it was opened in 1979 and merged with the KCR network in 2007 to form a 10-line heavy metro operation and a modern [[Light Rail (MTR)|light rail]] network. In addition, a [[Hong Kong Tramways|tramway]] system operates on [[Hong Kong Island]].

==== Rail transit in Macau SAR ====
{{Main|Macau Light Rapid Transit}}

The Macau LRT was first proposed in 2003, but a final go-ahead was not given until a public announcement by the Government of Macau in October 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=admin |date=2018-06-01 |title=Macau Skytrain LTR (Light Rail Transit) |url=https://www.secretmacau.com/macau-skytrain-ltr-light-rail-transit/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Secret Macau |language=en-US}}</ref> The Macau Light Transit System currently operates three lines: the [[Taipa line|Taipa Line]], which connects Taipa (including Macau International Airport), Cotai, and the Macau Peninsula; the [[Hengqin line|Hengqin Line]], a two-station line which connects Hengqin Island to Lotus Station, and the [[Seac Pai Van line|Seac Pai Van Line]], a two-station southern link connecting Union Hospital with Seac Pai Van.<ref>{{Cite web |title=LRT Lines |url=https://www.mlm.com.mo/en/route.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.mlm.com.mo}}</ref> The Taipa Line opened on 10 December 2019, while the Seac Pai Van and Hengqin lines opened on 1 November 2024 and 2 December 2024, respectively.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-02 |title=Mitsubishi Heavy Industries {{!}} Macau LRT Seac Pai Van and Hengqin Extension Lines Begin Commercial Operations-- Contribute to the Development of Key Transport Infrastructure to Support the Enhancement of Accessibility to a New Residential Area and Mainland China -- |url=https://www.mhi.com/news/241202.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. |language=en}}</ref> The [[East line (Macau LRT)|East Line]], which will connect the eastern terminus of the Taipa Line at Taipa Ferry Terminal with the Macau Peninsula, began construction in 2023 and is expected to open in 2028.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-24 |title=Construction of East Line begins |url=https://www.macaubusiness.com/east-line-construction-begins/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Macau Business |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fong |first=Kenny |date=2023-12-07 |title=What’s next for Macao’s LRT? |url=https://macaonews.org/features/macau-light-rail-transit-lines-transport-lrt-macao/ |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=Macao News |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=East Line |url=https://www.mlm.com.mo/en/LRTeastline.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.mlm.com.mo}}</ref>

As of February 2025, all lines on the LRT use [[Crystal Mover|Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Crystal Mover APM vehicles]] that are two-car trains and fully automated.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-02 |title=MACAU DAILY TIMES - Mitsubishi wins LRT tender |url=http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/20610-Mitsubishi-wins-LRT-tender.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002051123/http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/macau/20610-Mitsubishi-wins-LRT-tender.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-10-02 |access-date=2025-02-16 }}</ref> The car is named Ocean Cruiser.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ocean Cruiser |url=https://www.mlm.com.mo/en/ocean_cruiser.html |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.mlm.com.mo}}</ref> All LRT stations are equipped with [[platform screen doors]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Wayback Machine |url=https://www.mhi.co.jp/technology/review/pdf/e572/e572030.pdf |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240417054036/https://www.mhi.co.jp/technology/review/pdf/e572/e572030.pdf |archive-date=2024-04-17 |access-date=2025-02-16 |website=www.mhi.co.jp}}</ref>

==Road==
{{further|Automotive industry in China}}

===Motor vehicles===
[[File:China National Expressway Network light.svg|thumb|[[National Trunk Highway System|NTHS]] System]]
[[File:沈海高速公路莆田段（202008）.jpg|thumb|A section of [[G15 Shenyang–Haikou Expressway]], part of the [[National Trunk Highway System|NTHS]]]]
[[File:Parked motorbikes in Pudong.jpg|thumb|right|Many Chinese still use motorbike or e-bike (seen here parked on a Shanghai street) to get around, but it is forbidden in some major cities.|alt=Two rows of motorbikes, many showing their age and use, parked next to a city street corner. There is a large white-bar-on-red-circle "do not enter" sign at the upper right.]]

{{Main|China National Highways|Expressways of China}}

During the war with [[Japan]], in the 1930s, China built many roads, the most famous of which is the [[Burma Road]] that leads southwest from [[Kunming]] to the city of [[Lashio]]. Since it came into power, the Communist government initiated a large effort into building highways that extend across China and beyond its borders.

Today, China is linked by an evolving network of highways ([[China National Highways]]) and expressways ([[Expressways of China]]). In the past few years, China has been rapidly developing its road network. 
Between 1990 and 2003, the total length of urban roads in China more than doubled; increasing from 95,000 to 208,000 kilometers of roads during that period. Similarly, during the same period of time, the total area allocated to roads more than tripled; from 892 million square meters in 1990, to 3,156.5 million square meters in 2003.<ref>{{cite conference|url= http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/IntOrg/ecmt/urban/Tokyo05/Wu.pdf|title= Urban travel in China: Continuing challenges with rapid urbanization and motorization|first= Wu|last= Wenhua|date= 2–3 March 2005|conference= Workshop on Implementing Sustainable Urban Transport Policies in Japan and other Asia-Pacific countries|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150624154510/http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/IntOrg/ecmt/urban/Tokyo05/Wu.pdf|archive-date= 2015-06-24|url-status= dead|location= Tokyo, Japan|access-date= 2015-06-24}} cited in {{cite book|author= <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title= Planning and Design for Sustainable Urban Mobility: Global Report on Human Settlements 2013|url= http://mirror.unhabitat.org/pmss/getElectronicVersion.aspx?nr=3503&alt=1|format= PDF|edition= Revised|publisher= [[United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat)]]|page= 4|date= 2014|isbn= 978-92-1-132568-3|access-date= 16 June 2015}}</ref> China National Highways stretch to all four corners of mainland China. Expressways reach the same destinations as [[China National Highways]], except for the rugged terrain of Tibet. An expressway link is already at the planning stage.

Highways (totaling 130,000&nbsp;km) were critical to China's economic growth as it worked to mitigate a poor distribution network and authorities sought to spur economic activity directly. The highway and road systems carried nearly 11.6 billion tons of freight and 769.6 trillion passenger/kilometers in 2003.

The importance of [[highways]] and [[motor vehicle]]s, which carry 13.5% of cargo and 49.1% of passengers, was growing rapidly in the mid-2000s. [[Automobile]] usage has increased significantly in urban areas as incomes rise. However, as of 2009, car ownership was still low in comparison to the other members of the [[BRIC (economics term)|BRIC]] group of countries, being exceeded by [[Russia]] and [[Brazil]].<ref name="transtatsbz">{{cite web|url=http://www.iraptranstats.net/bz|title=Transport in Brazil|access-date=2009-02-17|work=International Transport Statistics Database|publisher=[[International Road Assessment Program|iRAP]] }}</ref> Indeed, the rate of car ownership in China is only expected to meet the 1960s level of car ownership of some developed countries in 2015.<ref name="transtatscn">{{cite web|url=http://www.iraptranstats.net/bz|title=Transport in China|access-date=2009-02-17|work=International Transport Statistics Database|publisher=iRAP }}</ref>

In 2002, excluding military and probably internal security vehicles, there were 12 million passenger cars and buses in operation and 8.1 million other vehicles. In 2003 China reported that 23.8 million vehicles were used for business purposes, including 14.8 million passenger vehicles and 8.5 million trucks. The latest statistics from the Beijing Municipal Statistics Bureau show that Beijing had nearly 1.3 million privately owned cars at the end of 2004 or 11 for each 100 Beijing residents. Beijing currently has the highest annual rate of private car growth in China, leading to major congestion in the capital.

In 2005 China had a total road network of more than 3.3 million km, although approximately 1.47 million km of this network are classified as "village roads". Paved roads totaled {{convert|770265|km|0|abbr=on}} in 2004; the remainder were gravel, improved earth standard, or merely earth tracks.

Some {{convert|270000|km|0|abbr=on}} of rural highways will be built and upgraded in 2008. By comparison, {{convert|423000|km|0|abbr=on}} of countryside highways were built or upgraded in 2007, a record high. According to China's Transport Ministry, as of the end of 2007, 98.54 percent of villages and towns had already been connected by highways.

The 2008 construction plan comprises five north–south highway trunk roads and seven east–west trunk roads and eight inter-provincial roads. Meanwhile, the central and local governments have continued to allocate funds to support the countryside highway build-up and step up construction quality supervision.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6333057.html| title = China to add and upgrade {{convert|270000|km|0|abbr=on}} of rural highway in 2008 - People's Daily Online<!-- Bot generated title -->}}</ref>

By the end of 2010, the total length of all public roads in China reached 3,984,000&nbsp;km,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://chinaautoweb.com/2010/12/chinas-highway-network-expands-74000-kilometers/ |title=China's Highway Network Expands to 74,000 Kilometers |publisher=ChinaAutoWeb.com}}</ref> with about {{convert|97000|km|0|abbr=on}} of [[Expressways of China|expressways]] by the end of 2012. All major cities are expected to be linked with a {{convert|108000|km|0|abbr=on}} inter-provincial expressway system by 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90778/90860/7392729.html|title=Highway grid to be finished by 2015: MOT - People's Daily Online|date=2011-05-27|publisher=English.people.com.cn|access-date=2012-11-07}}</ref>

===Motor vehicles safety===

RTA fatalities are vulnerable users (68%), including motorcycle, pedestrian and NMW.<ref name="china">{{Cite web | url=http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/7778/495620ESW0WHIT1ty1P11030101English1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y | title=China - Road Traffic Safety - The Achievements, the Challenges, and the Way Ahead | website=openknowledge.worldbank.org | publisher=Worldbank | date=August 2008}}</ref>

{{Graph:Chart
|width=100
|height=100
|type=pie
|x=Motorcycle, Pedestrian, Car user, NMW, Coach/Bus, Truck, Other MW, Other
|y1=.281,.260,.164,.148,.062,.041,0.035
|showValues=format:.1%, angle:60, offset:10, fontsize:12
|legend=Fatalities/Transport mode
}}

Vehicle is in cause in 17% of road fatalities.<ref name="china"/>

{{Graph:Chart
|width=100
|height=150
|type=rect
|x=Equipment failure, Vehicle not allowed, Overloading
|y1=0.091
|y2=0.044
|y3=0.030
|showValues=format:.1%
|yAxisFormat=.1%
|legend=Fatalities/Transport mode
|y1Title=Equipment failure, including brake (7.3%) but also light, tire, steering...
|y2Title=Vehicle not allowed includes wrong road, safety standard, registring, insurance
|y3Title=Overloading concern truck in 60% of the cases
|yAxisTitle=Part in fatal crashes
}}

Fatalities are 497 for 8.2 million inhabitants in [[Hainan]], and 9959 for 83 million people in [[Guangdong]] in 2005.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/60474/100702.pdf | title=Road Safety in China : challenges and opportunities | date=January 2008}}</ref>

{{Graph:Chart
|width=500
|height=200
|type=line
|x=15.8,10.8,68.5,33.4,23.8,42.2,27.1,38.2,13.5,74.3,47.2,62.3,35.1,42.8,93.1,97.2,60.2,67.0,83.0,48.9,8.2,27.7,87.3,39.0,44.2,2.7,37.1,26.2,5.4,5.9,19.6
|y1=1515,970,4075,3819,2106,2919,2428,2164,1393,7603,6881,4355,4125,2428,7050,4587,2417,3832,9959,3489,497,1484,4415,1647,2901,540,2698,1799,736,796,3110
|showSymbols=1
|linewidth=0
|legend=Fatalities per people and province, in 2005
|y1Title=Province fatalities/population (2005)
|xAxisTitle=Population (Million)
|yAxisTitle=Fatalities
|yGrid= |xGrid= 
}}

{{Graph:Chart
|width=500
|height=200
|type=line
|x=2368,1729,12547,11586,8359,13440,7335,7140,2306,13998,6569,9633,6262,8555,21949,21648,15225,5563,17147,6299,1255,4676,10123,2629,3325,807,5858,4969,4002,2109
|y1=1515,970,4075,3819,2106,2919,2428,2164,1393,7603,6881,4355,4125,2428,7050,4587,2417,3832,9959,3489,497,1484,4415,1647,2901,540,2698,1799,736,796,3110
|showSymbols=1
|linewidth=0
|legend=Fatalities per second class roads and province, in 2005
|y1Title=Province fatalities/Second class roads kilometers (2005)
|xAxisTitle=Second class roads kilometers
|yAxisTitle=Fatalities
|yGrid= |xGrid= 
}}

===Bus rapid transit===
{{Main|List of bus rapid transit systems#China}}

[[File:Beijing Bus Rapid Transit.jpg|thumb|right|Beijing BRT Line 1. Note the doors on the left-hand side of the bus -- the BRT line uses central island platforms for most of its route.]]

A number of BRT systems started operating in China, including the high capacity [[Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit|Guangzhou BRT]]. More than 30 projects are being implemented or studied in [[China]] in some big cities. In 2018, 99% of all electric buses globally were registered in the People's Republic of China.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Harper |first=Jo |date=2020-12-01 |title=Polish electric buses take over the European market |url=https://www.dw.com/en/polish-built-electric-buses-take-over-the-european-market/a-55778652 |access-date=2023-11-27 |website=DW}}</ref>

[[File:Muyu-Yichang-shuttle-bus-5483.jpg|thumb|Shuttle buses like this link smaller [[town (China)|towns]] with [[prefecture-level city|regional centers]].]]

===Trolleybus systems===
[[File:Wuhan - trolleybus in Wuluo Lu - P1040962.JPG|thumb|A trolleybus passes the [[Yellow Crane Tower]] in [[Wuhan]].]]
{{Further|List of trolleybus systems#China}}

As of 2013, [[trolleybus]]es provide a portion of the public transit service in 10 Chinese cities.<ref name="janes2011">Webb, Mary (ed.) (2011). ''Jane's Urban Transport Systems 2011-2012'', p. "[23]" (in foreword). Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): [[Jane's Information Group]].  {{ISBN|978-0-7106-2954-8}}.</ref> At one time, as many as 27 cities were served by trolleybuses, comprising 28 systems, as [[Wuhan]] had two independent trolleybus systems.<ref name="murray">Murray, Alan (2000). ''World Trolleybus Encyclopaedia'', pp. 8, 57 and 101.  UK: Trolleybooks. {{ISBN|0-904235-18-1}}.</ref> The [[Trolleybuses in Shanghai|Shanghai trolleybus system]], which remains in operation, opened in 1914 and is the longest-lived trolleybus system in the world.<ref name="murray"/><ref name="tm258">"Shanghai Anniversary" (Nov.-Dec. 2004). ''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 258, pp. 134–135. {{ISSN|0266-7452}}.</ref> All other trolleybus systems in China opened after 1950.<ref name="murray"/>

===Electric bicycles===
{{See also|Cycling in China}}
[[File:Yangzhou-WenchangLu-electric-bicycles-3278.jpg|thumb|Electric bicycles are very common in many cities of China, such as [[Yangzhou]]; in some areas they outnumber motorcycles or regular bicycles.]]

China is the world's leading producer of [[electric bicycle]]s. According to the data of the China Bicycle Association, a government-chartered industry group, in 2004 China's manufacturers sold 7.5 million electric bicycles nationwide, which was almost twice 2003 sales;<ref name=fairley>[https://spectrum.ieee.org/jun05/1213 "China's Cyclists Take Charge", By Peter Fairley.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511144557/http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/jun05/1213 |date=2009-05-11 }} [[IEEE Spectrum]], June 2005</ref> domestic sales reached 10 million in 2005, and 16 to 18 million in 2006.<ref name=tim-johnson>[http://postcarboncities.net/cheap-and-green-electric-bikes-are-rage-china "Cheap and green, electric bikes are the rage in China"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130112030444/http://postcarboncities.net/cheap-and-green-electric-bikes-are-rage-china |date=2013-01-12 }}, by Tim Johnson. Originally published 23 May 2007 by McClatchy Newspapers.</ref> By 2007, electric bicycles were thought to make up 10 to 20 percent of all two-wheeled vehicles on the streets of many major cities.<ref name=tim-johnson/> A typical unit requires 8 hours to charge the battery, which provides the range of 25–30 miles (40–50&nbsp;km),<ref name=tim-johnson/> at the speed of around {{convert|20|km/h|0|abbr=on}},<ref name=fairley/> however people usually illegal override, makes it just like normal motorcycles, capable of reach nearly {{convert|100|km/h|0|abbr=on}}. A large number of such vehicles is exported from China as well (3 million units, worth 40 billion yuan ($5.8 billion), in 2006 alone),<ref>[http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=7&a=366245 "Europe's latest craze electric bikes"] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120530184253/http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=7&a=366245 |date=2012-05-30 }}, Associated Press, 14 October 2008. The article gives ''China Bicycle Association'' and [[Xinhua]] News Agency's "Economic Reference" newspaper, as the sources of the numbers</ref>

=== Bikeshare ===
{{Further|Bicycle-sharing system#China}}

{{As of|2011|05}}, the [[Wuhan]] and [[Hangzhou Public Bicycle]] bike-share systems in China were the largest in the world, with around 90,000 and 60,000 bicycles respectively.<ref name="Access2011">{{cite web|url=http://www.uctc.net/access/39/access39_bikesharing.shtml|title=Worldwide Bikesharing|author=Susan Shaheen|author2=Stacey Guzman|date=Fall 2011|work=Access Magazine No. 39|publisher=[[University of California]] Transportation Center|access-date=2012-07-01|name-list-style=amp|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120719042742/http://uctc.net/access/39/access39_bikesharing.shtml|archive-date=2012-07-19}}</ref> Of the world's 15 biggest public bike share programs 13 of them are in China.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/22/bike-wars-dockless-china-millions-bicycles-hangzhou|title=Uber for bikes: how 'dockless' cycles flooded China – and are heading overseas|last=Mead|first=Nick Van|date=2017-03-22|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-05-20|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> By 2013, China had a combined fleet of 650,000 public bikes.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ywang/2014/10/20/return-of-bicycle-culture-in-china-adds-to-billionaires-wealth/#1dfbd6cf7752|title=Return of Bicycle Culture In China Adds To Billionaires' Wealth|last=Wang|first=Yue|work=Forbes|access-date=2017-07-04}}</ref> China has seen a rise in popularity with privately run [[Application software|app]] driven "dockless" bike shares with fleets that dwarf systems outside of China.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ftchinese.com/story/001071840/ce|title=China's bike-sharing boom in charts中国掀起共享单车热潮 - FT中文网|website=www.ftchinese.com|access-date=2017-07-05}}</ref> One such bike share alone, [[Mobike]], operates 100,000 dockless bikes in each of the cities of [[Shanghai]], [[Beijing]], [[Shenzhen]] and [[Guangzhou]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/mar/22/bike-wars-dockless-china-millions-bicycles-hangzhou|title=Uber for bikes: how 'dockless' cycles flooded China – and are heading overseas|last=Mead|first=Nick Van|date=2017-03-22|work=The Guardian|access-date=2017-07-04|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Overall, there are more than 30 private bike share operators including [[Mobike]], [[ofo (bike sharing)|ofo]], and [[Bluegogo]], that have put over 3 million dockless shared bikes in various cities across China.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.bicycling.com/culture/the-runaway-bikeshare-boom-in-china-is-a-cautionary-tale|title=The Runaway Bikeshare Boom in China Is a Cautionary Tale|date=2017-05-31|work=Bicycling|access-date=2017-07-04|language=en}}</ref>

==Bridges==
{{Main|List of bridges in China|List of largest bridges in China}}

During the infrastructure boom of the past two decades, bridge-building has proceeded at a rapid pace on a vast scale. Notably, prior to the completion of the [[Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge]] in 1957, there were no [[Yangtze River bridges and tunnels|bridges across the Yangtze River]], [[Yangtze River|China's longest]], from [[Yibin]] to [[Shanghai]], and all overland road and railways crossing this 2,884&nbsp;km (1,792&nbsp;mi.) stretch of the river required ferries. In 1992, there were only seven [[Yangtze River bridges and tunnels|such bridges]], but by the end of 2012, the tally had reached 73, including eight new openings in that year alone. Some notable bridges include:

* [[Chaotianmen Bridge]], the largest arch bridge in the world by main span length
* [[Xihoumen Bridge]], the second-longest suspension bridge in the world ranked by the length of the centre span
* [[Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge]], the longest bridge of any type in the world
* [[Jiaozhou Bay Bridge]], the world's longest bridge over water

==Air==
{{Main|Air transport in China}}
As a result of the rapidly expanding [[civil aviation]] industry, by 2007 China had around 500 airports of all types and sizes in operation, about 400 of which had paved [[runway]]s and about 100 of which had runways of 3,047 m or shorter. There also were 35 [[heliport]]s in 2007, an increasingly used type of facility. With the additional airports came a proliferation of [[airline]]s.

===Airlines===
{{Further|List of airlines of China}}
{{Update|part=section|date=August 2024|reason=Most of the data is at almost 20 years out of date}}

The [[Civil Aviation Administration of China]] (CAAC), also called the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, was established as a government agency in 1949 to operate China's commercial air fleet. In 1988 CAAC's operational fleet was transferred to new, semiautonomous airlines and has served since as a regulatory agency.

In 2002 the government merged the nine largest airlines into three regional groups based in [[Beijing]], [[Shanghai]], and [[Guangzhou]], respectively: [[Air China]], [[China Eastern Airlines]], and [[China Southern Airlines]], which operate most of China's external flights.

By 2005 these three had been joined by six other major airlines: [[Hainan Airlines]], [[Shanghai Airlines]], [[Shandong Airlines]], [[Xiamen Airlines]], [[Shenzhen Airlines]], and [[Sichuan Airlines]]. Together, these nine airlines had a combined fleet of some 860 aircraft, mostly [[Boeing]] from the [[United States]] and [[Airbus]] from [[European Union|Europe]].

To meet growing demands for passenger and cargo capacity, in 2005 these airlines significantly expanded their fleets with orders placed for additional Boeing and Airbus aircraft expected to be delivered by 2010. In June 2006, it was announced that an [[Airbus A320]] assembly plant would be built in the [[Binhai New Area]] of [[Tianjin]], with the first aircraft to be delivered in 2008.

Air China owns 30% of [[Cathay Pacific]] (second largest shareholder) and the [[Civil Aviation Administration of China]] (CAAC), an administrative agency of the [[State Council of the People's Republic of China|State Council]], owns majority and controlling stakes in China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Air China.

The total number of planes of all mainland Chinese carriers combined will be near 1,580 by 2010, up from 863 in 2006. By 2025, the figure is estimated to be 4,000.<ref name=China_Daily>{{cite web| url = http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/06/content_4513609.htm| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080225025711/http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2006-05/06/content_4513609.htm| url-status = dead| archive-date = 2008-02-25| title = China's fleet to double in five years}}</ref>

Twenty-seven airlines in the Chinese mainland handled 138 million passengers, and 22.17 million tons of cargo in 2005.<ref name=China_Daily/>

===Airports===
[[File:Beijing Daxing International Airport 20.jpg|thumb|alt=Interior of Beijing Daxing International Airport|Interior of [[Beijing Daxing International Airport]]]]
[[File:20230720 Interior of Terminal 2 of Shanghai Pudong International Airport.jpg|thumb|right|Interior of [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport]]]]
[[File:Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport T2.jpg|thumb|Interior of [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport]]]]
{{Further|List of airports in China}}

In 2007 China had 467 airports. Of China's major airports, [[Beijing Capital International Airport]] (PEK), located {{convert|27|km|0|abbr=on}} northeast of central Beijing, has the greatest flow of passengers annually and is the second busiest in the world.

Shanghai has the 2nd largest amount of air traffic in China through its two airports combined, the [[Shanghai Pudong International Airport]] (PVG), which is located {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} southeast of central Shanghai, and [[Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport]] (SHA), which is located {{convert|13|km|0|abbr=on}} west of central Shanghai. Both are under control of the Shanghai Airport Authority.

The new [[Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport]] (CAN), which opened in August 2004 and is located {{convert|28|km|abbr=on}} from downtown [[Guangzhou]].

Other major airports are located at [[Hong Kong International Airport|Hong Kong]], [[Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport|Chengdu]], [[Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport|Chongqing]], [[Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport|Dalian]], [[Hangzhou]], [[Harbin]], [[Hohhot]], [[Kunming]], [[Qingdao Liuting International Airport|Qingdao]], [[Shenyang]], [[Tianjin]], [[Urumqi]], [[Xiamen]], and [[Xi'an]].

China is served both by numerous major international flights to most countries of the world and a host of domestic regional airlines. Air traffic within mainland China is often connected through [[Beijing]], [[Shanghai]] or [[Guangzhou]]. They are, respectively, the main hubs for [[Air China]], [[China Eastern Airlines]] and [[China Southern Airlines]]. In 2003 China's [[civil aviation]] sector carried nearly 2.2 million tons of freight and 126.3 trillion passenger/kilometers.

Passenger flights to [[Taiwan]] and other places under administration of the [[Republic of China]] must follow [[three links|special rules]]. Flights between mainland China and [[Hong Kong International Airport]] (HKG) and [[Macao International Airport]] (MFM) are considered international.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}}

China, however, is planning to build a new airport in [[Nagchu County|Nagqu]], [[Tibet]] in 2011. It will surpass [[Qamdo Bangda Airport]] as being the world's highest airport once completed.<ref>{{Cite news| url=https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=14726.blog&csp=34 | work=USA Today | title=Mileage calculator | access-date=2010-05-26 | first=Ben | last=Mutzabaugh}}</ref>

====Airports with paved runways====
*Total: 403
*Over 3,047 m: 58
*2,438 to 3,047 m: 128
*1,524 to 2,437 m: 130
*914 to 1,523 m: 20
*Under 914 m: 67 (2007)

====Airports with unpaved runways====
*Total: 64
*Over 3,047 m: 4
*2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
*1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
*914 to 1,523 m: 17
*Under 914 m: 26 (2007)

==Ports and shipping==
[[File:Nansha Passenger Port 2017 12.jpg|thumb|Nansha Passenger Port in [[Nansha, Guangzhou|Nansha District]], [[Guangzhou]]]]
{{Main|Ports of China}}
{{See also|Chinese shipping}}

China has more than 2,000 ports, 130 of which are open to foreign ships. The major ports, including river ports accessible by [[ocean]]-going ships, are [[Beihai]], [[Dalian]], [[Dandong]], [[Fuzhou]], [[Guangzhou]], [[Haikou]], [[Hankou District|Hankou]], [[Huangpu District, Guangzhou|Huangpu]], [[Jiujiang]], [[Lianyungang]], [[Nanjing]], [[Nantong]], [[Ningbo]], [[Qingdao]], [[Qinhuangdao]], [[Rizhao]], [[Sanya]], [[Shanghai]], [[Shantou]], [[Shenzhen]], [[Tianjin]], [[Weihai]], [[Wenzhou]], [[Xiamen]], [[Yangzhou]], [[Yantai]], and [[Zhanjiang]].

China has sixteen "major" shipping ports with a capacity of over 50 million tons per year. Combined China's total shipping capacity is in excess of 2,890 million tons. By 2010, 35% of the world's shipping is expected to originate from China. The seven largest port terminals are Dalian, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai. Additionally, [[Port of Hong Kong|Hong Kong]] is a major international port serving as an important trade center for China. In 2005 Shanghai Port Management Department reported that its [[Shanghai port]] became the world's largest cargo port, processing cargo topping 443 million tons and surpassing [[Port of Singapore|Singapore's port]]. The [[Port of Shanghai]] is presently undergoing significant upgrades. Shanghai Model Port Alliance is responsible for many of the upgrades that are expected to make Shanghai's port more automated, minimizing the loss of goods and time while helping [[Customs]] collect more accurate tariffs. If the Shanghai project is successful, there is interest in replicating the process in other Chinese ports.

In 2003 China's major coastal ports handled 2.1 billion tons of freight.
[[File:Yangshan-Port-Containers.jpg|thumb|[[Yangshan Port]] off the coast in Shanghai]]

As of 2007, China's merchant fleet had 1,775 ships ({{GT|1000|metric}} or over) {{GT|22,219,786|metric}}/{{DWT|33,819,636|metric|disp=long}}
by type: barge carrier 3, [[bulk carrier]] 415, [[cargo ship]] 689, carrier 3, [[chemical tanker]] 62, combination ore/oil 2, [[container ship]] 157, [[LNG carrier|liquefied gas]] 35, passenger 8, passenger/[[cargo ship]] 84, [[oil tanker]] 250, [[Reefer ship|refrigerated cargo ship]] 33, [[roll-on/roll-off]] 9, specialized tanker 8, vehicle carrier 17.

*foreign-owned: 12 (Ecuador 1, Greece 1, Hong Kong 6, Japan 2, South Korea 1, Norway 1) (2007)
*registered in other countries: 1,366 (Bahamas 9, Bangladesh 1, Belize 107, Bermuda 10, Bolivia 1, Cambodia 166, Cyprus 10, France 5, Georgia 4, Germany 2, Honduras 3, Hong Kong 309, India 1, Indonesia 2, Liberia 32, Malaysia 1, Malta 13, Marshall Islands 3, Mongolia 3, Norway 47, Panama 473, Philippines 2, Sierra Leone 8, Singapore 19, St Vincent and The Grenadines 106, Thailand 1, Turkey 1, Tuvalu 25, unknown 33) (2007)

Two important [[train ferry|rail ferry]] crossings operate off the China coast. The [[Bohai Train Ferry]] allows freight trains to shortcut from [[Liaoning]] to [[Shandong]], while the Guangdong–Hainan Ferry (part of the [[Guangdong–Hainan Railway]]) connects [[Hainan]] Island with China's mainland. There are also passenger and vehicle ferry lines connecting China with [[South Korea]] and Japan, as well as with the [[Republic of China|R.O.C.]]-controlled [[Kinmen]] Island.

==Waterways==
[[File:京杭大运河-2021年苏州段上的货轮.jpg|thumb|On the [[Grand Canal of China]]]]

China has 127,000 kilometers of navigable [[river]]s, [[stream]]s, [[lake]]s, and [[canal]]s,<ref name=":1" /> more than [[List of countries by waterways length|any country in the world]]. In 2015, the traffic on the inland waterways has grown to 3.459 billion tonnes, cargo turnover to 1.331 trillion tkm. This is triple the volume since 2006. Passenger traffic is 271 million people and 7.308 billion person-km (2015), as reported by the 2015 Transportation Industry Statistical bulletin.

[[File:Zigui-Xiling-Gorge-4991.jpg|thumb|left|Traveling by boat allows passengers to enjoy the views of the [[Xiling Gorge]] in western Hubei.]]

The main navigable rivers are the [[Heilong Jiang]]; [[Yangtze River]]; [[Xiang River]], a short branch of the Yangtze; [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]]; [[Huangpu River]]; [[Lijiang River]]; and [[Xi Jiang]].

Ships of up to 10,000 tons can navigate more than {{convert|1000|km|0|abbr=on}} on the Yangtze as far as [[Wuhan]]. Ships of 1,000 tons can navigate from Wuhan to [[Chongqing]], another {{convert|1286|km|0|abbr=on}} upstream. The [[Grand Canal of China|Grand Canal]] is the world's longest canal at {{convert|1794|km|0|abbr=on}} with the southern portion serving a key role in barge transportation between [[Liangshan County]] south of the yellow river and [[Hangzhou]]. It links five major rivers: the [[Haihe]], [[Huai River]], [[Yellow River]], [[Qiantang River|Qiantang]], and [[Yangtze]].

Construction of new railways and highways has diminished the utility of China's rivers for passenger transport. Nonetheless, passenger boats are still popular in some mountainous regions, such as Western [[Hubei]] and [[Chongqing]] (the [[Three Gorges]] area), where railways are few and road access to many towns is inconvenient.

==Pipelines==
[[File:Ganjiaxiang - pipelines - P1070521.JPG|thumb|Pipelines near oil refineries in Ganjiaxiang, [[Qixia District]], Nanjing]]

As of 2006, China had {{convert|22664|km|0|abbr=on}} of [[natural gas|gas]] pipelines, {{convert|15256|km|0|abbr=on}} of [[oil pipeline]]s, and {{convert|6106|km|0|abbr=on}} for refined products. Due to the growing dependence on oil and gas, the total length of oil and gas pipelines in China has risen to {{convert|70000|km|0|abbr=on}} from {{convert|22000|km|0|abbr=on}} in 1997, stretching from oil and gas fields in western and northeastern regions to densely populated coastal areas in the east. By the end of 2010, the network could exceed {{convert|90000|km|0|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite news|title=China discusses draft law on the protection of oil and gas pipelines|url=http://www.energyglobal.com/sectors/pipelines/articles/China_discusses_draft_law_on_the_protection_of_oil_and_gas_pipelines.aspx|access-date=1 July 2011|date=2 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101010100319/http://www.energyglobal.com/sectors/pipelines/articles/China_discusses_draft_law_on_the_protection_of_oil_and_gas_pipelines.aspx|archive-date=2010-10-10|url-status=dead}}</ref>

China's pipelines carried 219.9 million tons of [[petroleum]] and [[natural gas]] in 2003. As a major oil and gas consumer, China is searching for more external supplies. Construction of a 4,200-km-long pipeline from [[Xinjiang]] to [[Shanghai]] ([[West–East Gas Pipeline]]) was completed in 2004. The government hopes that the use of natural gas will assist to reduce the use of [[coal]] which is responsible for much [[air pollution]].

==Economic benefits==
Some economic experts have argued that the development gap between China and other emerging economies such as Brazil, Argentina and India can be attributed to a large extent to China's early focus on ambitious infrastructure projects, notably mass transport and transit related projects. While China invested roughly 9% of its GDP on infrastructure in the 1990s and 2000s, most emerging economies invested only 2% to 5% of their GDP. This considerable spending gap allowed the Chinese economy to grow at near optimal conditions while many South American economies suffered from various development bottlenecks (poor transportation networks, aging power grids, mediocre schools...).<ref>{{Cite news |author=M. Nicolas Firzli & Vincent Bazi |title=Infrastructure Investments in an Age of Austerity : The Pension and Sovereign Funds Perspective |url=http://www.turkishweekly.net/op-ed/2852/infrastructure-investments-in-an-age-of-austerity-the-pension-and-sovereign-funds-perspective.html |work=Revue Analyse Financière, volume 41 |date=Fourth Quarter 2011 |access-date=30 July 2011 |location=. |archive-date=17 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917182931/http://www.turkishweekly.net/op-ed/2852/infrastructure-investments-in-an-age-of-austerity-the-pension-and-sovereign-funds-perspective.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Electric vehicle industry in China]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Transport in China}}
*[http://www.mot.gov.cn/ Ministry of Transport]
**[http://www.chinatranspo.com/ China Transpo] run by the Ministry of Transport's [https://web.archive.org/web/20090422135431/http://www.ttec.com.cn/ Transport Technology Exchange Center]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071114130138/http://www.moccats.com.cn/ China Academy of Transportation Sciences] (交通部科学研究院) ([https://web.archive.org/web/19981212025815/http://www.iicc.ac.cn/ www.iicc.ac.cn])
*[https://archive.today/20130118205146/http://www.catsic.com/ Transportation Information Center] (交通信息中心)
*[http://www.wti.ac.cn/ Waterborne Transportation Institute]
*[http://www.chinaports.org/ China Ports and Harbors Association]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090922221453/http://www.chinastc.org/ China Sustainable Transportation Center]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090303235855/http://www.urbansustrans.cn/ China Urban Sustainable Transport Research Center]
*[http://www.bjtrc.org.cn/ Beijing Transportation Research Center]
*[http://www.sutpc.com/ Shenzhen Research Center of Urban Transportation Planning]
*[http://www.chinautc.com/ Urban Transport Center, Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development]
*[http://www.itsc.com.cn/ National Intelligent Transportation System Engineering Technology Research Center]
*[http://www.umt-cn.com/ Urban Mass Transportation Research]

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