China's rail authorities have vowed to build more stations and improve the country's rail network, bringing China into the era of the high-speed railway within two years time.

The pledge was made by China's Ministry of Railways at a recent national working conference held in Beijing.

It was also announced that the new Beijing South Railway Station, which is currently under construction, will be the largest rail traffic hub in the country when it's completed in six months time. The main waiting hall of the station is designed to be able to cope with about 10,000 people, and 110 elevators will facilitate movement of passengers between different levels.

An official in charge of construction said the main ethos behind the design of the project was to put the convenience of the traveling public first.

We should stick to people first policy, making our design and construction more people-oriented.

Besides Beijing South, 19 more stations are in various stages of construction around the country.

In addition, it was announced that 26 new high-speed railway lines are to be built across China - with construction work already underway on 16 of these.