In numbers: China Railway handles record 3.71 billion passenger trips in first three quarters of 2026

 

China's national railway network handled 3.71 billion passenger trips in the first three quarters of 2026, up 4.8% year-on-year and a record high for the period.

A total of 2,860 tourist trains were operated in the first three quarters, up 25.5% year on year, including 1,613 tourist special trains and 1,247 tourist line trains.

Cross-border passenger services were also strengthened. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-speed Railway and the China-Laos Railway handled 25.845 million and 265,000 cross-border passenger trips respectively, up 11.8% and 37.8% year on year.

The railway sector also accommodated inbound travelers under China's visa-free transit policies, carrying 19.002 million foreign passengers in the first three quarters, up 33.4% year-on-year.