The State Council, China's Cabinet, has approved a medium－and long-term plan to expand the railway network.

The new plan approved on Wednesday is an updated version of the national railway plan issued by the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner, in 2008, which aimed to build a railway network of more than 120,000 kilometers by 2020.

Statistics from the top economic planner show that by 2015, China had an operating rail network of 121,000 km, of which 19,000 km were high-speed rail.

According to the new plan, by the year 2020, China's railway network will be 150,000 km, of which about 30,000 km will be high speed.

Railways are a crucial means of transportation in China and give powerful support to its economy. The new plan aims to build a more balanced national railway network that is integrated with roads, water and air transportation to establish a comprehensive transport network that makes China more accessible and further fuels its economy.

Key measures include expanding the high-speed rail network of the next few years so there are eight rail lines north to south, and eight lines east to west.

The new plan also envisages boosting rail construction in the central and western regions to achieve a more balanced development.