Railway freight transportation remains strong

Growth remained robust for freight transportation via railway in China last month, the national railway operator China State Railway Group said.

A record 340 million metric tons of cargo was shipped by rail in May, a year-on-year increase of 6.6 percent, the group said.

The railway network aims to increase capacity to ensure unimpeded logistics. With the suspension of some passenger trains due to sporadic COVID-19 cases last month, the company used the capacity to increase freight transportation.

The network played a role in production resumption, hauling 5.02 million metric tons of grain and fertilizer last month, a year-on-year increase of 28.2 percent. It also transported 110 million tons of coal for energy production, up 7 percent year-on-year.