A high-speed bullet train on the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed rail line approaches Zaozhuang Station in East China's Shandong province on April 1. [Photo/VCG]

By 2035, the railway network will reach 11,000 kilometers in Shandong, and will include a 5,700-km high-speed railway network, according to the province's medium- and long-term comprehensive transport network plan (2018-35).

Shandong is expected to develop a modern, high-quality and comprehensive transport network, and by 2035, the province's transport network will be convenient, cost-effective, green, intelligent and safe, according to the plan.

Shandong officials said the railway is the backbone and main transportation mode in the comprehensive transport system.

The province plans to invest 49.6 billion yuan ($7.44 billion) in high-speed rail projects this year, and Shandong Railway Investment Holding Group said that it will invest 35.2 billion yuan in the projects..

It is expected that by the end of 2025, the mileage of high-speed railway in the province will exceed 4,400 km, and all the cities in Shandong will be connected to the high-speed rail network.

Efforts will also be made to optimize and upgrade the freight rail network.