China's railway sector handles record number of passenger trips in 2023

China's railway sector handled a record-high 3.68 billion passenger trips in 2023, data from the national railway operator has shown.

The number of trips handled on the busiest day of the year exceeded 20 million, an all-time high, and the average daily number of passenger trips exceeded 10 million, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

The sector transported 3.91 billion tons of cargo last year, also a record high.

The sector's total transportation revenue came in at 964.1 billion yuan (US$135.8 billion) in 2023, up 39 percent from the previous year.

The operating mileage of China's railway network totaled approximately 159,000 kilometers at the end of 2023, including 45,000 kilometers of high-speed railway.