China's railway passenger traffic hits new record in H1

China's railway network recorded a historic high of 2.24 billion passenger trips in the first half of 2025, the national railway operator said Thursday.

This figure represents a 6.7 percent increase from the same period last year, according to data released by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. During the six-month period, an average of 11,183 trains operated daily, up 7.5 percent year on year.

The highest daily passenger traffic was recorded on May 1, the first day of the five-day May Day holiday, with over 23 million passenger trips made in a single day, an all-time high, the company said.

Chinese railways also saw rapid growth in foreign passenger numbers as visa policies were further eased. In the first half of 2025, foreign travelers took nearly 9.15 million train trips within China, a 30.1 percent increase year on year.

During the same period, cross-border railway transport also expanded rapidly. The China-Laos Railway recorded 139,000 passenger trips, representing an increase of 19.1 percent year on year, according to the data. ■