China's transportation authorities say the sector had more than meet the goals it set for 2020.

Li Xiaopeng, Minister of Transport said at a Thursday press briefing in Beijing that by the end of 2020, China's railway operation mileage, highway mileage, and urban rail transit mileage had all become No.1 in the world.

"Looking back at the numbers we set for 2020, we can safely say we not only met the expectations but also outperformed in many fields," Li said.

China's courier services are expected to send out 80 billion parcels this year, ranking the first globally. The industry has registered a yearly growth rate of over 22 percent since 2016, adding 700 billion yuan in revenue, and hundreds of thousands of job opportunities, according to Ma Junsheng, head of the State Post Bureau.

But it was not all smooth sails in the past five years.

The sector, especially the aviation industry, was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020.

Aviation authorities say it's by carefully aligning and closely monitoring all its projects to overcome difficult situations.

In September, the aviation sector saw a robust rebound. The total volume of air transport had rebounded to 96.9 percent last year, and domestic passenger traffic had rebounded to 98 percent last year, says Feng Zhenglin, Head of Civil Aviation Administration of China.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the global aviation industry hard, but we are the first to bounce back," Feng said.

Transportation frontline workers in last five years

Bullet train driver Yang Zhen broke the world speed record for high-speed trains in late 2016. Since then, he says, his line of work has well and truly been in the fast lane, with a whirlwind of investments, new launches and developments.

"In 2016, we launched one new railway line starting from Zhengzhou. In 2019, we opened three new lines from Zhengzhou. And this year, we're looking to open a new route between Zhengzhou and Taiyuan," Yang told CGTN.

China's 13th Five-Year plan promised the country would have a high-speed railway network of 30,000 kilometers by 2020 - a goal it smashed a year in advance, as the country counts 38,000 kilometers in high-speed railway by 2020.

But the COVID-19 pandemic means 2020 still counts as one of the most challenging years in memory for many in the industry.

Soon to celebrate her twentieth year on the tracks, Hou Ruiting, head of the G79 train crew, says she never knew she'd miss a packed train so much.

Until she finally experienced one again during the recent national day holiday.

"It's heart-warming to finally see a full train. This is the day I've been waiting for, for so long. I'm more determined than ever to keep all our passengers safe and provide the best service I can," Hou told CGTN.

With the 14th Five-Year Plan currently being hashed out, industry insiders say they have one thing for sure, that the same devotion towards China's connectivity will not slow down.