Railway trips plummet in virus prevention effort

China is expected to witness its railway passenger trips slump nearly 75 percent to 3.2 million on Thursday, the sixth day of the lunar new year, from the equivalent day last year, according to the country's top railway operator.

The railway sector has been cutting passenger train services to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to China State Railway Group.

The country handled about 2.93 million railway trips on Wednesday, down 73.8 percent from the same day last year on the Chinese lunar calendar, the company said.

China's railway network has sent 6,190 tons of materials necessary for the fight against the epidemic as of 6 pm on Wednesday.