Shotlist FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 1. Aerial shots of high-speed train running 2. High-speed train arriving at station 3. Various of passengers getting off train, walking down stairs FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 4. Entrance to Beijing South railway station 5. Various of passengers going through ticket gates, having luggage checked, at waiting hall of railway station FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 6. Various of railway ticket windows, passengers going through gates 7. Passengers waiting to board train 8. High-speed train running Beijing, China - Dec 26, 2025 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 9. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Zhang Zhike, senior executive, China State Railway Group (ending with shots 10-11): "High-speed rail now accounts for 80 percent of China's total railway passenger volume and 69 percent of passenger-kilometers, making it the backbone of medium- and long-distance travel. On average, 9,346 high-speed trains run daily, delivering 9.36 million passenger trips, equivalent to the population of a megacity moving across the country via high-speed rail every single day. This robust network has significantly alleviated pressure during peak travel periods such as the Spring Festival travel rush." FILE: China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland) 10. Various of train arriving at station, passengers getting off train 11. Various of passengers at railway station, buying ticket 12. Various of passengers going through gates, coming to platform, boarding train 13. Passengers inside train 14. Aerial shots of high-speed trains running Storyline As China continues to expand its high-speed rail network, railway authorities are refining train schedules and innovating passenger services to significantly enhance both transport capacity and service quality. With the opening of the Xi'an–Yan'an high-speed railway on Friday, China's high-speed rail mileage has topped 50,000 km, exceeding the total of all other countries combined. The country now operates a fleet of 5,233 Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) trains, including 2,248.75 Fuxing high-speed EMU trains, a rise of about 34 percent and 117 percent, respectively, compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020). The Fuxing train can reach up to 350 km/h. "High-speed rail now accounts for 80 percent of China's total railway passenger volume and 69 percent of passenger-kilometers, making it the backbone of medium- and long-distance travel. On average, 9,346 high-speed trains run daily, delivering 9.36 million passenger trips, equivalent to the population of a megacity moving across the country via high-speed rail every single day. This robust network has significantly alleviated pressure during peak travel periods such as the Spring Festival travel rush," said Zhang Zhike, a senior executive at China State Railway Group, the country's national railway operator. During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021–2025), EMU trains have operated a cumulative 12.8 billion passenger trips, a 39.2-percent increase compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period. China has built the world's largest railway ticketing system, 12306, which handles over 20 million ticket sales per day and has achieved near-universal e-ticket coverage. A suite of passenger-friendly services has been introduced, including online meal ordering, high-speed rail pet transport, and age-friendly service options, profoundly transforming how people travel across the nation.