Inland waterways are another important means of transportation.
Rapid expansion of motor expressways represents a new phenomenon. Still, it is the rail system that has consistently dominated China's transportation network. Shen Zhisheng, former chief engineer of the Ministry of Railways, claims that existing railways have reached their maximum potential in terms of length, so that developing express railways will be an essential policy in the future. Air travel has always been the first choice for travelers for whom time is the most important consideration. In the early years of the PRC, there were only 29 airplanes in the fleet.