BEIJING, November 15, 2026: China’s railway network recorded 4.13 billion passenger trips during the first 10 months of 2026, marking a 4.7 percent year-on-year increase and the highest figure ever recorded for the January-October period.
According to China State Railway Group, the growth was supported by expanded railway capacity, improved passenger services and increasing demand for tourism and cross-border travel.
An average of 11,670 passenger trains operated daily during the period, representing a 5 percent increase compared with the previous year.
Railway operations reached a single-day record on October 1, the beginning of China’s National Day holiday, when 25.2 million passenger trips were recorded and 14,885 trains operated.
Tourism-related rail services also expanded, with 3,236 dedicated tourism trains operating during the first 10 months. Another 1,084 special trains served passengers attending concerts, sporting events, exhibitions and educational tours.
Cross-border travel registered significant growth. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway carried 29.23 million cross-border passengers, up 11 percent, while the China-Laos Railway handled 289,000 cross-border passengers, an increase of 33 percent.
Foreign passenger trips on China’s railway network reached 22.52 million, rising 32.9 percent year on year as more international visitors chose rail travel to explore the country.
By the end of 2025, China’s operational railway network had expanded to 165,000 kilometres, including more than 50,000 kilometres of high-speed rail.
The country plans to extend its high-speed railway network to 70,000 kilometres by 2035, strengthening connections between major cities, economic centres and regional transport hubs.