China State Railway Group reported that in H1 2026, national railways carried a cumulative 2.348 billion passenger trips, up 5.0% year-on-year, setting a new historical record for the same period.
In H1, railway passenger capacity was provided with precision and efficiency, successfully completing Spring Festival travel and holiday transport for Qingming, May Day, and Dragon Boat Festival. On May 1, national railways carried 24.844 million passengers in a single day, setting an all-time daily record. The China-Laos Railway carried 188,000 cross-border passengers, up 25.9%; the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway carried 16.962 million cross-border passengers, up 13.8%.
National railways deployed an average of 11,468 passenger trains daily, 630 more than the same period last year, a 5.8% increase. Foreign passengers carried by national railways reached 12.314 million trips, up 33.6%.
In railway-tourism integration, national railways operated 1,797 tourist trains in H1, up 84.8% year-on-year. 'Panda Express,' 'Yangtze River Delta Star,' 'New Orient Express,' and other tourist specials increased in frequency. Additionally, 445 customized 'fan trains' and 'sports fan trains' were operated, effectively boosting tourism consumption along routes.
On the freight side, national railways completed 2.622 billion tonnes of freight in H1, up 2.5%. Fixed asset investment in national railways reached 363.2 billion yuan, up 2.1%.