China's railway sector hits record 2.24 bln passenger trips in H1 2025

An all-time high 2.24 billion passenger trips was recorded by China's national railway network in the first half of 2025, showing a year-on-year increase of 6.7 percent.

In the first half of the year, China opened multiple new railway lines and stations, which helped boost the country's railway transportation capacity.

The Chongqing East to Qianjiang section of the Chongqing-Xiamen High-Speed Railway, a key part of China's high-speed rail network, was put into operation on June 27.

The main line is 242 km long, with a designed speed of 350 km per hour. Travel time from Chongqing to Changsha can be as short as three hours and 53 minutes, which is another fast passenger transport route between the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area.

In the first half of the year, 301 kilometers of railway line was added to the country's national railway network.

Nationwide, China ran 11,183 passenger trains a day on average, up 7.5 percent year on year.

On May 1, the first day of the May Day holiday, China's railway network handled a record 23.12 million trips, the busiest single day ever.

Over the past six months, China rolled out a fleet of themed tourist trains, such as the "Panda Train," and data showed that they have been pulling their weight.

In the first half of the year, 972 tourist trains hit the rails, up 23.2 percent, delivering a welcome boost to the tourism sector and the silver economy.

Cross-border travel surged in the first half of the year, thanks to China's daily roster of international trains.

In northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, travelers can hop on an international train and be in Russia's Grodekovo station in just one hour and 40 minutes.

Over the past six months, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway sent more than 15 million passenger trips, and the China-Laos line carried 139,000, up 16 percent and 19 percent respectively, laying fresh track for tighter people-to-people and business bonds.

China Media Group (CMG), the country's flagship broadcaster, unveiled its 2026 flagship drama lineup in Beijing on Friday.

CMG will broadcast 55 major TV series and three short dramas ranging from historical epics to contemporary storylines that reflect everyday life, social change, and the spirit of the times.

The new lineup will align natural narrative and creative innovation with the country's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030), continuously amplify the voice of mainstream values, and continue promoting the deep integration of film and television with cultural tourism, according to CMG.