(Yicai Global) Jan. 2 -- China Railway wants to add 6,800 kilometers of rail tracks in the country this year, increasing its plans for last year by 70 percent.

Some 3,200 kilometers of the new rails will be for high-speed connections, the state-owned firm said at its annual work summary conference in Beijing today. The firm did not disclose how much it plans to invest on the new tracks, but mentioned that it aims to accelerate construction in Sichuan province and Tibet Autonomous Region.

It invested nearly CNY803 billion (CNY117 billion) on railroad construction nationwide last year, it added, far more than the CNY732 billion it proposed at the beginning of the year.

China had more than 131,000 kilometers of rail tracks in operation as of the end of 2018, with high-speed railroads making up around 22 percent. Trains transported nearly 3.4 billion passengers throughout the year, 9.4 percent more than in 2017, and 4 billion tons of freight cargo, 334 million tons more than the previous year.

Editor: James Boynton