EVOLUTION AFTER THE REVOLUTION. TRAFFIC IN THE PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA AS A CENTRAL FACTOR OF ECONOMICAL DEVELOPMENT

The author reports on a journey through China which took several weeks, which led him over a distance of 3500 km through middle, west and north China. The backbone of the traffic system is without doubt the railway system for freight as well as for public transport. The present traffic volume in a rail network of 50000 km comprises 200000 four-axle freight wagons carrying about 900 million tons a year. Freight transport by road achieves prominence only in the vicinity of cities and in surface traffic of the regions, as there is no coherent long-distance road network. The air traffic network is relatively well established. Planning to the year 2000 envisages particularly the further extension of the rail system by constructing 1000 to 2000 km of new tracks and the purchase of diesel locomotives. Progress is also to be made with the electrification of tracks. Only after 1990 is a significant increase in road traffic expected, where at present the heavy goods vehicle is singularly predominant. With internal stability in China the chances for a strong economic rise can be taken as very favourable. /TRRL/