China's railway passenger traffic reached a record high in the first half of 2025, handling 2.24 billion passenger trips, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 percent, a senior official with the National Railway Administration said on Monday.
An Lusheng, deputy head of the National Railway Administration, made the statement at a press conference in Beijing, in briefing on China's progress in building a modernized transport infrastructure system during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025).
"In the first half of this year, the national railway system handled a total of 2.24 billion passenger trips, a year-on-year increase of 6.7 percent, a record high in the corresponding period in history," An said.
He attributed the milestone to three key factors.
First, as China's economy continues to improve steadily, the people's travel demand has grown increasingly strong.
Second, along with continued expansion of the scale of the railway network, the number of trains in operation has kept increasing, which makes China's transportation capacity even stronger.
"At present, China's total operational mileage of railway lines has topped 162,000 kilometers, covering 99 percent of the cities each with a population of more than 200,000. In particular, the mileage of high-speed railways has exceeded 48,000 kilometers, covering 97 percent of the cities each with a population of more than 500,000. Since the beginning of this year, more than 11,000 passenger trains are operated daily, handling a total of 17 million passenger trips per day, a 7.5 percent year-on-year increase. 'Traveling across China by high-speed rail' has become a vivid reflection of how ordinary people now enjoy a better life," An said.
Third, the railway transport service quality has kept improving, and the passenger's experience in traveling by train is getting better and better. The high-speed rail network has made travel faster, while mobile payment and online seat selection have made ticket purchase more convenient.
China's railway passenger traffic hits record high in in January-June
The airstrike conducted by Saudi-led coalition targeting the port of Mukalla in Yemen's oil-rich Hadramout province early Tuesday morning has caused severe damage to nearby residential buildings and left locals terrified.
According to the coalition, the strike targeted weapons and combat vehicles allegedly unloaded at the port from two unauthorized ships that arrived from the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the weekend.
Coalition spokesman Turki Al Maliki said the vessels had disabled their tracking systems and delivered a large cache of arms intended to bolster the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen's Hadramout and Al-Mahra provinces, a move he described as a "clear violation" of the UN Security Council Resolution 2216 of 2015.
He said the operation was conducted in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules, ensuring that no collateral damage occurred.
However, local residents offered a different account, describing scenes of chaos and destruction in the pre-dawn hours following the strike.
"As you can see, this is the severe damage that occurred to our home as a result of the airstrike that targeted the Mukalla port, specifically military vehicles that were next to the house, about 20 to 40 meters away. At exactly 04:30, the location was targeted with a surprise airstrike, and we were shocked by the sudden violent explosions," said Salem Ali Al-Haj Zaid, a local resident.
Another resident, Um Ali, described the psychological toll on children.
"The children kept crying from the time of the strike until morning. Poor things, they were shocked, scared and unable to sleep again," said Ali.
The strike hit especially hard for Um Mohammed, a widow living on the top floor of a residential building near the port.
"We were terrified. My mother is old. The most damage was to the floor of the building where I live, and I am a widow. Who will compensate us for this?" said Mohammed.
The reported attacks come amid heightened military escalation in Hadramout, where Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces have warned of possible military action following the STC's refusal to withdraw its forces from the governorate.
Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition called on all civilians to immediately evacuate the port of Mukalla to ensure their safety, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.
Mukalla, the capital of Hadramout governorate, is a key port city on Yemen's southeastern coast, with strategic and economic value.
Saudi-led airstrike on Yemen's Mukalla port damages homes, sparking fear among locals
