Railway Greening Mileage Increases to Nearly 66,000 Kilometers

 by End of 14th Five-Year Plan Period

　　During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), railway greening mileage increased from 53,826 kilometers to 65,907 kilometers, an increase of 22.4 percent, marking a new level in the construction of the railway "green corridor".

　　To build a "green corridor" along the lines, railway authorities have continuously improved the development of "green passageways". On the one hand, they have focused on existing railway lines by carrying out targeted forest belt planting initiatives and voluntary tree-planting campaigns to address gaps in forest belts and strengthen the green protective network along the routes. On the other hand, they have strictly enforced greening standards for new railways, implementing full-process pre-intervention management for greening projects. All new lines that opened for operation in 2025 achieved simultaneous compliance of greening works with the main construction projects.

　　To balance tree safety with transportation safety, railway authorities have effectively enhanced tree management and protection standards to uphold safety baselines. They have standardized procedures and plans for handling hazardous trees along railway lines, strengthened railway-local government cooperation to resolve cross-jurisdictional barriers in hazardous tree management, and effectively eliminated safety hazards caused by tree encroachment. They have also strictly implemented policies and measures from forest and grassland fire prevention agencies at all levels, with no major tree-related fires occurring throughout the year.

　　To promote synchronized progress between ecological protection and railway development, railway authorities have implemented national directives on land greening and ecological conservation, improving the ecological environment along railway lines. They have organically integrated railway green belts with urban landscapes along the routes and advanced the prevention and control of sand hazards on railways. Of the 3,267 kilometers of sand-affected railway lines across the network, 2,654 kilometers have been treated, achieving a sand hazard control rate of 81.2 percent, transforming formerly sand-threatened sections into vibrant ecological corridors.