China’s national railways transported approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of goods in the first four months of 2025, marking a 3.6 percent increase compared to the same period last year, according to data released by China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. on Monday.
The average daily loading volume reached 180,000 carriages, a rise of 4.7 percent. The railways moved 672 million tonnes of coal from January to April, including 464 million tonnes designated for power generation, ensuring robust reserves for power plants.
Shipments of mining and construction materials surged by 29.3 percent, while metallurgical material transport increased by 10.7 percent, the railway operator reported.
To enhance efficiency, railway authorities strengthened shipping partnerships by establishing 119 multimodal services, effectively reducing delivery times and costs. Rail-water container shipments reached 5.38 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) during the January-April period, up 19.1 percent.
Cross-border freight continued its upward trend. China-Europe Railway Express operations remained stable, while China-Central Asia freight trains completed 4,725 trips—a 21 percent year-on-year increase. Additionally, the China-Laos Railway transported 1.976 million tonnes of cross-border goods, marking a 7.6 percent rise.
