China will open two new high-speed rail lines this month, bringing full network coverage to every city in 12 provinces and pushing total track length toward 50,000 kilometres by year-end, reports the Macao News.

The new routes will connect Panzhou to Xingyi in Guizhou province and Shenyang to Changbaishan in Liaoning province. The latter forms part of a longer line to Jiamusi in Heilongjiang and will extend service to Tonghua and Baishan in Jilin, and Fushun in Liaoning.

The expansion marks a shift from backbone construction to a dense, integrated network. China's high-speed rail reached 48,000 kilometres by end-2024 and aims to connect all mainland cities with populations over 500,000 by 2035.

Provinces already fully covered include Hubei, Guangxi, Fujian, Anhui, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Hebei, Guangdong, Henan and Hunan. Jiangxi was the first to have all cities served by trains reaching 350 kilometres per hour.

Critics warn of mounting debt, which stood at CNY6.2 trillion (US$863 billion) at the end of 2024. Researcher Zhao Zhijiang said the risks "cannot be ignored" given modest profitability.

Professor Zhao Jian of Beijing Jiaotong University also criticised the network's focus on passenger travel, noting high-speed rail is unsuitable for heavy freight.