China's rail network carries record-breaking 2b passenger trips

China's railway network has set a new record by handling more than 2 billion passenger trips in the first half of the year, according to the national railway operator China State Railway Group on Friday.

From January to June, 2.09 billion passenger trips were handled by the railway system, a year-on-year increase of 18.4 percent, the company said.

During the time, cross-border passenger transport via the railway network has been strengthened. Faster high-speed sleeper trains between Beijing and Hong Kong as well as Shanghai and Hong Kong have been launched.

An addition of two international passenger trains on the China-Laos Railway from Xishuangbanna of Yunnan province to Luang Prabang, a tourism city in Laos, have been introduced.

The international passenger train between Hohhot of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Ulaanbaatar, capital of Mongolia, has resumed operation.

China's booming railway system has been transformed into a more competitive transportation mode, widely benefiting people's daily lives.