China railway passenger trips set record high

(ECNS) -- China's railway sector recorded 2.096 billion passenger trips in the first half of this year, up 18.4 percent year-on-year, according to data from the National Railway Administration released on Friday.

Total railway passenger turnover amounted to about 777.952 billion passenger-kilometers in the first half year, an increase of 14.1 percent year-on-year, ranking first in the world regarding passenger trips and turnover.

The railway sector has expanded its transportation capacity by adding more high-speed trains on newly operated routes since the beginning of this year. An average of 10,256 passenger trains were scheduled to operate on national railways daily, up 882 trains or 9.4 percent over the same period last year.

China strengthened cross-border transport capacity by launching high-speed sleeper train services connecting Hong Kong with Beijing and Shanghai. Railway authorities launched one more pair of trains between Xishuangbanna of China and Luang Prbang of Laos and resumed the operation of an international passenger train running between Hohhot in China and Ulaanbaatar in Mongolia.

In the first half of 2024, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed Railway handled 7.587 million cross-border passenger trips, an increase of 72.4 percent year-on-year, and the China-Laos railway carried 117,000 cross-border passenger trips, according to the data.

China's rail development will continue to speed ahead in 2024 to foster economic and social development.