China reports steady railway freight growth in first 7 months

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 13, 2025 shows a China-Europe freight train bound for Baku, Azerbaijan, departing from Xi'an International Port Station in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi Province. (Xinhua/Li Yibo)

BEIJING, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- China saw steady railway freight growth in the first seven months of 2025, with more efficient network operation and improved services, the national railway operator said Monday.

The national railway system transported an accumulated volume of over 2.33 billion tonnes of cargo in the period, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.3 percent, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. The daily average number of loaded freight cars reached 183,300, up 4.1 percent from the same period last year.

During the January-July period, coal transport reached over 1.19 billion tonnes, and the freight volume for mineral construction materials and grain rose 13.6 percent and 12.7 percent year on year, respectively.

International freight also posted a stable performance. A total of 8,526 Central Asia freight train trips were operated, a 23.2-percent increase from a year ago. The China-Laos Railway transported over 3.44 million tonnes of cross-border cargo, up 6.4 percent year on year.

Next, the company said it will accelerate the development of a modern railway logistics system, deepen market-oriented reform in railway freight transportation, and boost the quality and efficiency of logistics services.