1. Global Market Overview: Steady Expansion and Structural Changes

In 2024, the global rail transit market showed steady growth. According to market research data, the global rail logistics market was valued at US$416.8 billion in 2024, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.4% from 2025 to 2034. In terms of digital transformation in rail transport, the global digital railway market was valued at approximately US$69.46 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach US$122.71 billion by 2030, representing a CAGR of 9.94%. The market for smart rail transport solutions also performed strongly, with a global market size of approximately RMB 6.875 billion in 2024 and projected to approach RMB 11.06 billion by 2031. These figures indicate that rail transit is accelerating its intelligent and digital transformation.

2. China High‑Speed Rail: CR450 EMU Ushers in the “400 km/h Era”

The most eye‑catching news in China’s high‑speed rail sector in 2024 was the official unveiling of the CR450 EMU prototype. On 29 December 2024, the CR450 EMU prototype was unveiled in Beijing, marking a major breakthrough in the “CR450 Science and Technology Innovation Project” and further consolidating China’s leading position in high‑speed rail technology.

The CR450 EMU is a new‑generation train that has achieved a test speed of 450 km/h and an operational speed of 400 km/h – both world firsts. Compared with the current Fuxing CR400 (operating at 350 km/h), the CR450 is internationally leading in key indicators such as operating speed, energy consumption, interior noise, and braking distance. This “super high‑speed train” successfully overcame a series of core technical challenges, including traction systems, vibration and noise reduction, and braking control, making China the first to establish a top‑level indicator system for 400 km/h EMUs.

During development, the team faced huge challenges: maintaining the 6500‑metre braking distance at 400 km/h that the CR400 achieves at 350 km/h – a feat with no precedent worldwide. Starting from exploratory work in 2018, implementing the “CR450 Science and Technology Innovation Project” in 2021, and finally rolling out the prototype in 2024, China’s high‑speed rail has achieved another leap from “chasing” to “leading” in six years. In addition, in July 2024, an engineering prototype of a 600 km/h superconducting electrodynamic high‑speed maglev train was successfully completed, filling the speed gap between high‑speed rail and aviation.

3. China Urban Rail Transit: Steady Expansion and “Hundred Schools of Thought Contending” on New Lines

In 2024, China’s urban rail transit maintained high‑quality development. Data released by the Ministry of Transport show that by the end of December 2024, 54 cities in China had 325 urban rail transit lines in operation, totalling 10,945.6 km and 6,324 stations. During 2024, 18 new urban rail transit lines, 27 new operating sections, and 748 km of new operating length were added. According to the “Urban Rail Transit 2024 Statistical and Analytical Report” released by the China Association of Metros, by the end of 2024, 58 cities in mainland China (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) had 361 urban rail transit lines in operation, with a total operating length of 12,160.77 km.

In terms of passenger volume, a total of 40.85 million trains were operated in 2024, carrying 32.24 billion passenger trips, an increase of 2.8 billion trips or 9.5% compared with 2023. Five cities – Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Chengdu – together accounted for nearly half of the national passenger volume.

From the perspective of city networks, the “1,000 km rail transit” era is accelerating. Shanghai returned to the top of the national ranking with over 900 km of rail transit network, closely followed by Beijing with over 880 km. Suzhou and Zhengzhou were the year’s “growth champions”, each adding more than 100 km of operating length. Among them, Suzhou’s new Lines 6, 7 and 8 – with Line 6 passing through various scenic spots – is known as the “most beautiful garden line”. Meanwhile, Sichuan’s first cross‑city rail transit line, the S3 Ziyang Line, opened, reducing the travel time between Ziyang and Chengdu to just half an hour.

4. Intelligent and Autonomous Driving: The Leap from Manned to Unmanned Trains

2024 was a landmark year for intelligent rail transit technology. At InnoTrans 2024, the world’s largest railway trade fair, autonomous driving and digital technologies were the most prominent themes. Alstom successfully demonstrated the Arte project – Automatic Train Operation (ATO) under ETCS without additional trackside equipment – with several kilometres of driverless operation in Salzgitter, Germany. Florian Kittelmann, Head of Autonomous Driving at Alstom, said: “As we stand on the threshold of a new era for railways, the deployment of driverless systems heralds a future of seamless train operations, prosperous cities, and unprecedented connectivity for communities.”

In China, autonomous driving technology also shone brightly. In April 2024, Qingdao Metro Line 6, the country’s first metro line featuring full‑function, full‑scenario, full‑element smart stations, began operation. It is also the first metro line in China to use a fully autonomous Train Autonomous Circumambulation System (TACS), allowing trains to autonomously determine track resources and actively adjust dwell times. That same year, Guangzhou Metro Line 7 achieved full line automatic driving at the highest automation level. In September 2024, China successfully tested driverless heavy‑haul trains on the Shuohuang Railway, integrating key technologies such as real‑time train status monitoring and intelligent comprehensive inspection of infrastructure, filling a domestic gap in driverless operation on heavy‑haul railways.

In intelligent maintenance, artificial intelligence and digital twin technologies began to be widely applied to rail infrastructure. A review article published in European Transport Research Review in October 2024 systematically described the application of IoT, AI, and digital twins to existing railway infrastructure. Using AI‑driven predictive maintenance and real‑time monitoring, rail operators can effectively track train status, monitor track conditions, and analyse passenger flows, greatly improving operational safety.

5. Green and New Energy Transition: Hydrogen Trains Lead the Low‑Carbon Revolution

Driven by carbon neutrality goals, 2024 accelerated the green transformation of rail transit. Hydrogen and battery power were increasingly deployed worldwide, with green electricity becoming a core industry trend.

On 23 September 2024, CRRC Qingdao Sifang unveiled its first independently developed hydrogen‑powered smart intercity EMU, CINOVA H2, at the InnoTrans exhibition in Berlin, marking a major breakthrough in China’s hydrogen rail technology. The train has a range of 1,200 km at a cruising speed of 160 km/h and a maximum operating speed of 200 km/h, achieving zero carbon emissions throughout its journey. In November 2024, four hydrogen technologies, including the “fuel cell power system for hydrogen‑powered rail transit”, were officially included in the public list of the “Green Technology Promotion Catalogue (2024 Edition)”, indicating that standardisation and industrialisation of hydrogen in rail transit will accelerate.

At the international level, fuel‑cell and battery technology are rapidly and comprehensively replacing traditional diesel power. In Germany, Siemens Mireo hydrogen trains entered service north of Berlin in late 2024, representing the last batch of three hydrogen train orders in Germany. BEMU trains manufactured by Stadler and Škoda Transportation entered service in Germany and the Czech Republic respectively. It should be noted that although hydrogen train technology is maturing, the German government has ended subsidies for hydrogen trains due to high operating costs, and BEMU (battery electric multiple units) are attracting increasing attention. This reflects the need for green rail technology to balance technical breakthroughs with economic viability – a path that pursues only technical sophistication without economic sustainability may not be viable.

6. International Market Developments: Many Countries Accelerate Their Plans

Several countries and regions made significant progress in rail transit in 2024.

Indian Railways saw a year of rapid development. It completed 6,450 km of full track renewal, replaced 8,550 turnouts, and increased train speeds to 130 km/h on 2,000 km of sections. An additional 3,210 km of railway lines were electrified, and 136 Vande Bharat trains were put into operation. Indian Railways also launched India’s first underwater transport tunnel under the Bay of Bengal – the Kolkata Metro’s Esplanade‑Howrah Maidan section.

Poland took a key step towards high‑speed rail. Spanish company Talgo and Polish company Pesa signed a memorandum of understanding to cooperate in the development of high‑speed rail in Poland. Poland’s Central Communication Port (CPK) project plans to build about 2,000 km of new high‑speed lines. Spain announced record investment in its rail sector, completing projects worth €1.7 billion in the first five months of 2024, with tenders for projects worth €2.0 billion underway.

In addition, the Riyadh Metro system in Saudi Arabia was fully commissioned in 2024, and the Paris Metro partially opened in time for the Olympic Games after extensive expansion. Commercial steam operation in China came to an end, marking the global transition to electric power as the basic form of railway motive power.