Ranked: Countries With the Most High-Speed Rail in 2025
October 12, 2025
By Marcus Lu
Graphics/Design:
See this visualization first on the Voronoi app.
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Ranked: Countries With the Most High-Speed Rail in 2025This was originally posted on our Voronoi app. Download the app for free on iOS or Android and discover incredible data-driven charts from a variety of trusted sources.
Key Takeaways- China has over 25,000 miles of high-speed rail in operation today, more than the rest of the world combined.
- Countries with the most planned future capacity include China (6,983 miles), India (4,647 miles), and the U.S. (3,145 miles).
- High-speed rail projects in the U.S. include California’s SF–LA line, Brightline West to Las Vegas, Amtrak’s new Acela, and a Texas Shinkansen-style project.
High-speed rail is one of the fastest growing transportation technologies in the world, cutting journey times and boosting economic integration.
While only a handful of nations operate extensive networks today, dozens more are investing heavily to catch up.
In this graphic, we rank the countries with the most high-speed rail in 2025, differentiating between lines in operation, under construction, or in the planning stage.
Data & Discussion
The data for this visualization was compiled by World Population Review.
Search:
Country
Total Length
(miles)
Operational
(miles)
Construction
(miles)
Planned
(miles)
|
| ???? China | 40,249 | 25,149 | 8,117 | 6,983 | | ???? India | 4,963 | 0 | 316 | 4,647 | | ???? U.S. | 3,772 | 457 | 170 | 3,145 | | ???? Spain | 3,467 | 2,275 | 656 | 536 | | ???? Turkey | 2,895 | 654 | 992 | 1,250 | | ???? France | 2,771 | 1,699 | 0 | 1,072 | | ???? Japan | 2,285 | 1,914 | 250 | 121 | | ???? Egypt | 2,097 | 0 | 0 | 2,097 | | ???? Iran | 1,929 | 0 | 255 | 1,674 | | ???? Thailand | 1,642 | 0 | 157 | 1,484 | | ???? South Africa | 1,485 | 0 | 0 | 1,485 | | ???? Germany | 1,248 | 976 | 91 | 181 | | ???? Poland | 1,183 | 139 | 0 | 1,044 | | ???? Australia | 1,087 | 0 | 0 | 1,087 | | ???? Vietnam | 960 | 0 | 0 | 960 | | ???? Canada | 946 | 0 | 0 | 946 | | ???? Finland | 941 | 696 | 0 | 245 | | ???? Sweden | 877 | 534 | 133 | 210 | | ???? Italy | 775 | 572 | 203 | 0 | | ???? Russia | 671 | 0 | 409 | 262 | | ???? Czech Republic | 624 | 0 | 0 | 624 | | ???? South Korea | 573 | 542 | 30 | 0 | | ???? Latvia | 541 | 0 | 0 | 541 | | ???? Estonia | 541 | 0 | 0 | 541 | | ???? Morocco | 513 | 116 | 0 | 398 |
China Has the Most High-Speed Rail by a Wide Margin
China dominates high-speed rail globally, with over 25,000 miles of track in operation (representing over two-thirds of the world’s total).
Its ambitious expansion plans add 8,000 miles under construction and nearly 7,000 more planned. For comparison, the next largest network—Spain—has under 2,300 miles in service.
China’s dense cities are ideally spaced for rail, and its government treats it as a tool for economic growth and integration. It’s also a reason why China has relatively few airports compared to the U.S.
The fastest commercial line in China is the Shanghai Maglev line, which connects Shanghai Pudong International Airport to Longyang Road Station and is capable of reaching a top speed of 268 mph (431 km/h).
The train was built by a joint venture between two German firms: Siemens and ThyssenKrupp.
America’s High-speed Rail Ambitions
The U.S. has long dreamed of having high-speed rail lines to connect its major cities, but progress has been slow.
For example, California’s high-speed rail project between San Francisco and Los Angeles was approved in 2008 with big promises, but has faced soaring costs, litigation, and delays.
California has spent billions since 2008 without laying a single piece of track.
CATO Institute
On the bright side, Brightline West is a privately-owned project designed to connect Las Vegas and Southern California. Construction began in 2024, and the line is expected to be completed in time for the Los Angeles Olympics.
Looking elsewhere in America, the Texas Central Railway is another private rail project that aims to connect Dallas and Houston. The train’s design will be based on Japan’s Shinkansen (AKA bullet train), and aims to cut travel time between the two cities to 90 minutes. |
