The Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2007

62 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / J U LY- A U G U S T 2 0 0 7 This map shows the route of the Kowloon-to-Beijing train trip taken by U.S. diplomatic couriers. China has one of the largest rail transport networks in the world. Riding the Iron Rooster: By Train Through China , Paul Theroux’s travelogue, brought attention to China’s rail system in 1988. “Iron rooster,” it so happens, is a literal translation of the Chinese word for train. Today, with about 20 principal domestic routes and a total length of 47,200 miles, the system ranks third behind Russia (52,800 miles) and the United States (143,000 miles). It is, how- ever, the busiest railway network in the world, moving 24 percent of global rail traffic with just 6 percent of the world’s tracks. The Chinese railway system is comprehensive, spanning the nation. Despite various problems, it is being expanded, upgrad- ed — and increasingly connected to the rest of the world. The controversial line linking China with the autonomous region of Tibet and its capital, Lhasa, was inaugurated in July 2006. The highest-altitude railway in the world, its construction involved significant engineering challenges. The soaring need for both freight and passenger transport throughout the country continues to fuel the expansion that began in earnest during the 1950s. According to the country’s long-term plan, the Ministry of Railways of China will add anoth- er 10,500 miles of track by 2010, as well as some double-track- ing and electrification. By 2020, the system is expected to com- prise some 62,000 miles. — Susan Maitra, Senior Editor