BEIJING - Experts and government officials this week urged pragmatism and better services in China's drive toward building a comprehensive transportation system over the next five years.

Senior central government officials in the transportation and railway sectors discussed the nation's blueprints for building a safe and efficient transportation network during the 12th Five-Year Plan Period (2011-2015).

China's high-speed rail tracks will expand to 45,000 kilometers by 2015, Minister of Railways Sheng Guangzu said during an interview Tuesday with the People's Daily, the flagship newspaper of the China's ruling party.

By 2010, the nation's high-speed rails covered a total of 8,358 kilometers.

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But Sheng said the drive toward building more rail lines over the next five years should be met with a "suitable" and not excessive approach.

"Construction standards for railways should match the level of social and economic development in local regions, and we need to consider people's ability to afford high speed train tickets," Sheng said.

China's high-speed bullet trains appeal to those hoping to save time, but others are put off by high ticket prices resulting from the enormous costs of building high-speed railways.

For example, a second-class seat on the Wuhan-Guangzhou high-speed link, which opened in late 2009, costs 490 yuan, almost three times the cost of a seat on a slower train.

"It's necessary to build a modern transportation system because it brings more convenience to people's daily lives, and makes production activities more efficient," Zhang Hanya, Director of the Investment Association of China, said in a telephone interview with Xinhua.

"But China should approach this goal with a pragmatism that suits economic development, not blindly," Zhang said.

He said some expressways and small airports built in China's western regions are not running at their designed capacities due to an unconcentrated amount of passengers and traffic.

Zhang also questioned the necessity of building the fastest trains possible, because, he said, the public worries about the safety of fast trains.

According to China's 12th Five Year Plan, eight high-speed passenger rail lines will crisscross the country by 2015, covering cities with populations over 500,000. More second-tier provincial capitals are expected to initiate construction of urban light rail and metro lines.

Expressways will extend 83,000 kilometers by 2015 and should cover cities with populations over 200,000.

Meanwhile, an additional 56 airports will be built, including one in the capital city of Beijing.

Better service, more convenience to come

Experts say better services and management are needed to construct a modern and comprehensive transportation system.

Wang Yongping, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Railways, told Xinhua on Thursday that the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line, scheduled to open in two months, will offer an Internet-based ticketing system by the end of June. This system will be opened up to the nation's railways by the end of this year, a substantial move toward creating customer convenience.

Also, a system requiring valid ID numbers when purchasing a ticket will be expanded to all high-speed railways beginning June 1. This ticketing system is expected to strike ticket scalpers who have made massive profits from re-selling rail tickets at much more than their face value.

Zhang Hanya said a modern transportation system will require more efficient traffic management. He urged China's traffic-logged cities to learn from international cities with successful traffic management campaigns, while drivers, cyclists and pedestrians need to enhance their awareness of traffic rules and make it a habit to abide by them.

During the 2011-2015 period, China plans to boost the development of urban mass transit systems, hoping these systems will play a larger role in people's daily commutes.

The 12th-Five Year Plan also stipulates that China will strive to integrate urban and rural transportation.