China’s Railway Passenger Trips Hit Record High in First Seven Months of 2026

According to data released by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (CHINA RAILWAY) on August 15, China’s railway sector has catered to diversifying travel demands, enriched passenger transport products and optimized service quality across the year. A total of 2.8 billion passenger trips were recorded on China’s railways in the first seven months of 2026, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.1% and a new historic high for the period.

The robust growth in railway passenger flow reflects a notable rise in population mobility across the country, as stated in an interview with Securities Daily. The record-breaking passenger volume stems from coordinated improvements in both market supply and demand. In terms of supply capacity, the continuous expansion of China’s high-speed rail network and the operation of newly opened routes have substantially bolstered overall transport capacity. The railway sector has fully leveraged new lines and stations including the Xi’an East-Shiyan East section of the Wuhan-Xi’an high-speed railway and the Lanxi East-Jiande section of the Jinhua-Jiande high-speed railway. On average, 11,462 passenger trains run daily nationwide, a year-on-year increase of 571 trains or 5.2%.

Market demand expansion has served as another core driver of the thriving railway passenger business. The booming cultural and tourism industry has normalized short-distance weekend tours and long-distance cross-provincial travels. Special tourist trains launched by railway operators have further unlocked public travel potential. Sustained optimisation of entry policies has also boosted cross-border mobility, delivering steady growth in passenger flows on key international rail routes.

Official statistics show that the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway carried 20.049 million cross-border passengers in the first seven months, rising 11.5% year on year. The China-Laos railway recorded 214,000 cross-border passenger trips, representing a 38.2% year-on-year growth. The number of foreign passengers travelling via China’s railways reached 14.852 million, a year-on-year increase of 32.5%.

Deep integration between railway transport and cultural tourism has become a pivotal growth engine for passenger business. Railway authorities have strengthened cooperation with cultural and tourism departments nationwide, launching customized tourist rail routes and branded tourist trains. By rolling out innovative “tourism train plus” services and connecting railway networks with scenic spots and hotels, the sector has fostered new business formats and stimulated cultural and tourism consumption. In the first seven months, China’s railways operated 2,159 tourist trains in total, comprising 1,184 dedicated tourist trains and