Photo:VCG

China's railway sector achieved a new record, handling 4.01 billion passenger trips during the first 11 months of 2024, significantly higher than the 3.86 billion handled for the whole year of 2023, according to data from the national railway operator released on Wednesday.

This is the first time the number of passenger trips has exceeded the 4 billion mark, indicating strong travel demand, according to a statement sent to the Global Times by the China State Railway Group Co.

In 2023, the railway sector handled 3.86 billion passenger trips, a 130.4-percent year-on-year increase, according to public data, which demonstrated rapid recovery in railway transport post-pandemic.

During the January-November period, passenger turnover — the number of passengers multiplied by the distance they traveled — reached 1.49 trillion passenger-kilometers, representing nearly half of national passenger turnover during this period, the company said.

Sun Zhang, a railway expert at Shanghai Tongji University, told the Global Times on Wednesday that China's railway passenger turnover continues to display steady growth amid enhanced investment into the sector and strong travel demand.

"Issues such as difficulties in purchasing tickets during peak hours have gradually been addressed to meet up with the rising demand from the people, ensuring the growth in the passenger traffic flow," Sun said. "However, traffic flow is imbalanced and the hinterland regions have more potential to fully tap their railways transportation capacity."

During the January-October period, fixed-asset investment in the railway sector reached 635.1 billion yuan ($87.38 billion), marking a 10.9-percent increase from the same period last year, data from the China State Railway Group showed in November.

The operating mileage of China's railway network totaled approximately 160,000 kilometers by the end of November, including 46,000 kilometers of high-speed railway, further solidifying China's position as the global railway leader.

The railway network now covers most of China's urban areas, covering 99 percent of Chinese cities with a population at 200,000 or more, while high-speed railway serves 97 percent of the cities with more than 500,000 residents.

Cross-border passenger transport via the railway system also showed significant growth during this time, with the China-Laos Railway handling 249,000 cross-border passenger trips. 

A staff member with China Railway Harbin Group Co told the Global Times that as the winter tourism garners pace, travel demand to China's ice-and-snow attractions has been picking up lately.

Adding that "Passenger flow to snow resort Yabuli and Mohe in the past weekend is quite strong," the person noted that some 85,000 visitors have traveled on 163 travel-themed train trips the company offered to characteristic tourism resorts in Northeast China's Heilongjiang Province as of end November.