Timeline

2004

The national mid- and long-term railway plan is drafted, with a goal of building a 12,000-km railway network with an operating speed above 200 km/h by 2020.

2008

The Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Science and Technology sign a deal in February on jointly developing a high-speed train operating at 380 km/h.

The country's first high-speed railway, between Beijing and Tianjin, starts operation on Aug 1.

Mid- and long-term railway planning is revised, changing the goal to building at least 16,000 km of high-speed railways by 2020.

2010

The Chinese designed and manufactured bullet train CRH380 sets a record of 486.1 km/h in a trial run.

2011

The Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway - China's longest high-speed rail line stretching 1,318 km - opens to traffic on June 30.

2012

The Harbin-Dalian High-speed Railway - the world's first high-speed railway in a frigid zone - starts operating on Dec 1.