In the first three quarters of this year, national railway passenger volume reached 3.71 billion trips, a record high for the same period in history.

The reporter learned from China State Railway Group today that in the first three quarters of this year, railways nationwide carried a total of 3.71 billion passenger trips, up 4.8% year on year, setting a new record high for the same period in history. In the first three quarters, new lines and new stations were put into operation, including the Xiongan-Shangqiu section of the Beijing-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway, the Xi'an-Ankang section of the Xi'an-Chongqing High-Speed Railway, the Yichang-Xingshan High-Speed Railway, and the Harbin-Yichun High-Speed Railway. China State Railway Group fully tapped transport potential, arranging an average of 11,511 passenger trains per day, up 5.3% year on year. The integration of rail and tourism continued to empower service consumption. In the first three quarters, railways nationwide operated a total of 2,860 tourist trains, up 25.5% year on year, meeting market demand for sightseeing, ecological wellness tourism, and red-education study tours, effectively driving the development of the cultural and tourism industry. Cross-border passenger transport organization was strengthened. In the first three quarters, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong High-Speed Railway and the China-Laos Railway carried 25.845 million and 265,000 cross-border passenger trips, respectively, up 11.8% and 37.8% year on year. Railways nationwide carried 19.002 million foreign passenger trips, up 33.4% year on year. The service functions of Railway 12306 continued to be optimized. As of the end of September, multi-ride tourism tickets covered 28 routes; the Beijing-Zhangjiakou High-Speed Railway and the Hainan Round-the-Island High-Speed Railway launched a "bring your bicycle aboard" service; and the number of stations offering online meal ordering increased to 98.