The first railway network was constructed and put into operation under the first Five-Year Plan (1953-57) in the western part of the country. The network included Chengdu-Chongqing, Tianshui-Lanzhou, Laibin-Pingxiang and Baoji-Chengdu rail lines.

In 1957, the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, the first railway bridge to span the river, was completed.

In the second Five-Year Plan (1958-62), many railways were constructed in China's north. New links included Baotou-Lanzhou, Beijing-Chengde and Lanzhou-Xining lines.

In 1958, the Baoji-Chengdu Railway, China's first to be electrified, was completed.

In July 1970, the Chengdu-Kunming Line was finished, which was an important link in the Chinese railway network that greatly improved transportation within minority areas of China's southwest.

In 1983, the Beijing-Qinhuangdao Railway started operation, making it the first double-line electrified railway in China.

In 1992, the Datong-Qinhuangdao Railway Line began operation. Its technology matched international standards in that it was China's first to support heavily loaded trains, the first to use a computerized central traffic-control system and the first to use a fiber-optic communication system. In August 2006, the railway's operator, Daqin Railway Co. Ltd., was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.

In 1994, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen railway was completed, marking the first high-speed railway in the country. In May 1996, railroad operator Guangshen Railway Co. Ltd. held an initial public stock offering in both Hong Kong and New York. It was China's first railway management company to be listed abroad.

On July 1, 2006, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest altitude and longest plateau railroad, was inaugurated a year ahead of schedule.

On April 18, 2008, the construction of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway began. Prior to that, the country began construction on over 20 high-speed, inter-city lines that will be able to travel from 200 to 350 km per hour. More than 8,000 km of high-speed railway lines were under construction or already operating.

In July 2008, the Beijing-Tianjin Railway began to operate. It is China's fastest railway line, reaching speeds of 350 km per hour with full independent intellectual property right.