China's transport sector registers steady growth, unleashes new momentum in 2025

BEIJING -- China's transportation sector registered steady growth in 2025, with new growth momentum unleashed to drive the sector's development to support smarter and consumption-integrated growth, according to a Tuesday press conference held by the State Council Information Office.

China is expected to see its cross-regional passenger flows exceed 66 billion trips this year, and a commercial freight volume of over 58 billion tons, both increasing by about 3.5 percent year-on-year, said Li Yang, vice-minister of transport.

He highlighted that fixed-asset investment in the sector is expected to top 3.6 trillion yuan ($510.47 billion), and that more than 2,000 kilometers of high-speed railways and some 8,000 kilometers of expressways are expected to be added to the network of the world's transport powerhouse in 2025.

"The transportation sector has operated smoothly and made steady progress in 2025," Li said, citing factors such as the enhanced capacity of China's transportation services, the development of new quality productive forces in the sector, as well as the integrated development of transportation and consumption sectors.

Data from the ministry shows that with the concerted efforts of transportation authorities at the national and local levels, China ensured smooth operations for 9 billion passenger trips during the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, and for 2.4 billion trips during the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays.

The operational mileage of urban rail transit in 54 Chinese cities now exceeds 11,000 kilometers, with the average daily passenger volume surpassing 90 million, the data shows.

New quality productive forces in the transportation sector are developing at an accelerated pace, Li noted. Following the release of a guideline on the application of artificial intelligence in the transportation sector, China has launched the construction of an integrated transportation large language model, he added.

The digital transformation of approximately 1,700 kilometers of expressways, and of over 2,200 auxiliary facilities for highways and waterways, has been completed. A total of 60 automated container and bulk cargo terminals have been built, and the domestically developed large C919 jet has safely carried more than 3 million passengers, according to the data.

The transport sector is emerging as a strong driver of consumption and economic growth, with yacht-related industries and self-driving tours advancing rapidly, the ministry said.

Li noted that the ministry will collaborate with relevant departments to formulate targeted measures to boost yacht consumption, while encouraging the development of cruise transportation and tourism, which is set to become a key consumption growth driver next year.

To facilitate self-driving tours, the ministry will improve the services system for highway facilities, develop a series of characteristic cross-regional routes, and enhance services to better meet people's travel needs, particularly for tourism purposes, he added.

In 2026, China will continue to improve its national transportation network and promote cost reduction, quality improvement and efficiency enhancement in the transportation and logistics sectors, according to the ministry.

It said that China will install more than 10,000 charging guns in highway service areas nationwide to support the country's green energy transition, with high-power charging guns accounting for no less than 25 percent of that number.