This marks our 13th consecutive year producing the annual summary report for China's rail transit. In 2025, a total of 23 cities across the country added new operational mileage. Among them, Jinan showed particularly rapid growth. The final under-construction sections of Line 1 in both Taiyuan and Dongguan were successfully opened. Furthermore, airports in Taiyuan, Fuzhou, and Nanchang have been officially integrated into their respective metro networks.
This ranking continues to use "Metropolitan Area Network" as the statistical standard, aiming to visually present the actual operational networks that cross administrative boundaries and achieve physical connectivity. In contrast, the real-time rankings within the MetroMan App are calculated based on "Single City Network" standards, using administrative boundaries and updated daily.
Looking ahead to 2026, China's urban rail transit will see even larger-scale interconnectivity. Key projects include:
- Nanjing and Ma'anshan: Connection via Line S2 (Ningma Line).
- Hangzhou and Deqing: Connection via the Hang-De Intercity Railway.
- Beijing and Langfang/Xiongan: Line 22 and the Jing-Xiong Express Line will strengthen ties within the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.
- Xiamen and Zhangzhou: Line 6 extension to Jiaomei.
Several cross-city rail transit clusters have begun to take shape in China:
- Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei: Beijing + Langfang + Xiongan
- Yangtze River Delta: Shanghai + Suzhou + Wuxi + Jiaxing
- Nanjing Metropolitan Area: Nanjing + Jurong + Ma'anshan + Chuzhou + Yangzhou
- Greater Bay Area: Guangzhou + Foshan + Dongguan + Zhongshan + Zhuhai + Shenzhen + Hong Kong
- Central Plains & Guanzhong: Zhengzhou + Xuchang; Xi'an + Xianyang
- Chengdu-Chongqing Region: Chengdu + Ziyang + Deyang + Meishan
- Northern Zhejiang: Hangzhou + Shaoxing + Haining + Deqing
- Middle Reaches of Yangtze & Southern Fujian: Changsha + Xiangtan + Zhuzhou; Xiamen + Zhangzhou + Quanzhou
- Taiwan: Taipei + New Taipei + Taoyuan + Keelung
Statistical Notes:
- Mileage data is rounded to the nearest whole number.
- The statistics exclude: Trams without dedicated right-of-way, Light Rail, Yunba (SkyShuttle), Cloud Rail, suburban railways operating on existing national rail lines, and purely tourist-oriented rail lines.
- The following unopened sections are not included in this mileage count: Chengdu Line 19 Hejiang section; Qingdao Blue Valley Express (formerly Line 11) Aoshanwan section; Hefei Line 3 Guanyi section and Line 4 Ziyunhu section; Ningbo Line 6 Ningbo West Station section.
2026 Opening Predictions: Based on current construction progress, multiple core backbone lines are expected to enter operation in 2026, further increasing the network density of major metropolitan areas.
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