China’s railway passenger volume, passenger turnover, and other key passenger transport indicators rank first in the world

Reporters learned from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as China Railway) that from January to November of this year, the national railways served a cumulative 4.008 billion passenger trips, marking the first time the annual passenger volume surpassed the 4 billion threshold and setting a new historical record. China’s railway passenger volume and passenger turnover, among other key passenger transport indicators, securely rank first globally.

According to relevant officials from the Passenger Transport Department of China Railway, the company thoroughly implements the decisions and arrangements of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, adheres to a people-centered development philosophy, accelerates the construction of a modern railway transport service system, focuses on people’s aspirations for a better travel experience, fully leverages the developed and improved high-speed rail network and modern railway network, continuously enhances the capacity and quality of railway passenger services, effectively serves the people’s safe, orderly, and comfortable travel as well as the steady operation of the national economy, and injects strong momentum into the prosperous development of a “mobile China.”

The benefits of the developed railway network have been unleashed, leading to a continuous increase in passenger transport capacity. This year, new lines such as the Chizhou-Huangshan High-Speed Rail and the Zhongchuan Airport-Wuwei East Section of the Lanzhou-Zhangye High-Speed Rail have been completed and opened for operation. The modern railway network has become increasingly dense, with the national railway operating mileage surpassing 160,000 kilometers, including over 46,000 kilometers of high-speed rail. More than 3,300 railway passenger stations have been built and put into use, with over 1,300 of them being high-speed rail stations. The railway network now covers 99% of cities with a population of over 200,000 and the high-speed rail network covers 97% of cities with a population of over 500,000. Cities like Wuwei and Zhaoyuan have entered the high-speed rail era. The significant leap in the scale and quality of the railway network, especially the high-speed rail network, has expanded railway passenger transport capacity, improved network connectivity and coverage, and enabled Fuxing trains to run across the vast land of China, providing strong support for promoting the flow of people, industrial linkage, and economic interaction along the routes. From January to November, the national railways served 4.008 billion passenger trips, setting a new record, and completed a passenger turnover of 1,492.701 billion person-kilometers, accounting for nearly half of the total passenger turnover in society. The backbone role of railway passenger transport has become more prominent.

The effective utilization of line and equipment resources has led to an increasingly diverse range of passenger transport service products. Actively adapting to passenger travel demands, China Railway promotes supply-side structural reforms in railway transport, coordinates the use of lines, stations, and equipment resources, and has built a product portfolio of passenger trains led by Fuxing trains, covering different speed levels, complementing high-speed and conventional trains, with a complete range of categories, a reasonable structure, and sufficient supply. Fuxing high-speed trains operate at a maximum speed of 350 km/h, providing passengers with diverse travel options. Leveraging the big data of the railway’s 12306 system, China Railway scientifically analyzes passenger travel patterns, dynamically optimizes and adjusts passenger train operation plans, promptly increases transport capacity in popular directions or on specific lines, and precisely matches transport capacity with passenger demand to facilitate passenger travel. By actively serving the tourism economy and the silver economy, China Railway has created a series of distinctive tourism train brands such as “Silk Road Dream Express” and “Panda Train,” which have been well-received by the market.

Improvements in station and train service measures have enhanced the passenger travel experience. The implementation of the 2024 edition of the “Regulations on Railway Passenger Transport of China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.” has introduced a series of new measures to benefit and facilitate the people. The railway’s 12306 system has innovatively launched features such as through-train ticket booking and online seat selection, promoted comprehensive digital electronic invoices for passenger services, and expanded the coverage of ride passes and periodic tickets to 60 lines, tour packages to 11 lines, and railway QR codes to all high-speed trains. Convenient transfers are available at 120 stations nationwide, 31 stations offer subway rides without security checks for arriving railway passengers, 84 stations provide internet meal ordering services, and “quiet carriages” are available on 92 high-speed trains. The rules for transporting key passengers such as the elderly, children, patients, disabled, and pregnant women have been optimized, making their travel more comfortable and convenient. Civilized travel is actively promoted, creating a warm and comfortable travel environment.

China Railway has continuously improved its passenger transport capacity and quality, significantly enhancing people’s travel conditions and injecting vitality into economic and social development. The extensive high-speed rail network has shortened spatiotemporal distances, effectively promoting the integrated development of regions such as the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, creating a “same-city effect,” accelerating the flow of people, logistics, capital, and information, and strongly supporting regional development. China Railway persists in operating public-welfare “slow trains” and revitalization trains, enhancing the inclusivity, balance, and accessibility of railway passenger services, facilitating convenient travel and income generation for people along the routes. Efforts have been made to promote the integrated development of railways and tourism, collaborate with scenic spots and hotels, create new consumption scenarios, and launch high-quality tourism routes, attracting a large influx of tourists and boosting the tourism economy. Since the beginning of this year, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Rail has served 24.345 million cross-border passengers, a year-on-year increase of 37.2%, and the China-Laos Railway has served 249,000 cross-border passengers, effectively facilitating cross-border personnel exchanges, cultural exchanges, and business cooperation.

The official stated that in the next step, China Railway will closely monitor changes in passenger demand, effectively utilize the newly opened lines, stations, and equipment resources at the end of the year, optimize train operation plans, make early preparations for the 2025 Spring Festival travel rush, continuously improve the quality of station and train services, and ensure the safe, orderly, and comfortable travel of passengers.