In the first three quarters, the national railway sent 3.71 billion passengers, a year-on-year increase of 4.8%

On October 18th, China Railway Group released data showing that the country's railways had sent a total of 3.71 billion passengers in the first three quarters of this year, a year-on-year increase of 4.8%, setting a new historical high for the same period. Against the backdrop of sustained demand for passenger travel, the supply capacity of railway passenger transportation has been synchronously improved. In the first three quarters of the year, the national railway arranged 11511 daily passenger trains, a year-on-year increase of 5.3%. The newly opened Beijing Hong Kong high-speed railway Xiong'an to Shangqiu section, Xiyu high-speed railway Xi'an to Ankang section, Yichang to Xingshan high-speed railway, Harbin to Yichun high-speed railway and other new lines and stations have fully utilized their transportation capacity, further increasing the network capacity.

The railway department took the initiative to connect with market demands for tourism, ecological health, and red education. In the first three quarters, a total of 2860 tourist trains were operated, a year-on-year increase of 25.5%, including 1613 special tourist trains and 1247 special tourist trains. Special tourist trains such as "Starlight Yanzhao Express" and "Panda Express", as well as tourist special trains such as "Qilu No.1" and "Nanhu 1921", connect the natural scenery, cultural relics, and specialty cuisine along the line, driving passengers to "enjoy China" by taking the train. In response to events such as competitions, exhibitions, and cultural performances in various regions, the railway department has launched 947 trains including "fan trains" and "fan trains" to activate related consumption through the "theme train+" model, effectively driving the development of related industries such as catering, hotels, and cultural tourism.

Cross border passenger transportation has become a highlight of railway travel in the first three quarters. The Guangzhou Shenzhen Hong Kong High speed Railway and the China Laos Railway respectively sent 25.845 million and 265000 cross-border passengers, up 11.8% and 37.8% year on year respectively. International passenger trains between China and Mongolia, China and Russia, China and Vietnam, and China and North Korea continue to operate well, contributing to the rise of cross-border tourism. At the same time, the national railway actively adapts to the inbound passenger flow brought by the national transit visa free policy, providing convenience for foreign passengers' travel. In the first three quarters, a total of 19.002 million foreign passengers were sent, a year-on-year increase of 33.4%.

The travel experience for passengers is also continuously being optimized. The railway department provides "up and down" fare discounts for elderly passengers during the off-season and mid week periods, and introduces teacher point discounts for frequent flyer member services. At the service level, the "silent carriage" has covered over 8000 high-speed trains, the "pet loving" service covers 163 high-speed railway stations and 392 high-speed trains, and the "light loading" service covers 212 stations. The "bicycle carry on" service has been piloted on the Beijing Zhangjiakou high-speed railway and the Hainan Island high-speed railway, enriching travel choices from a detailed perspective.

From an industry perspective, the railway passenger volume reached a new high in the first three quarters, reflecting the two-way activity of residents' travel and tourism consumption. The deep integration of railway transportation capacity and tourism scenes is becoming an important link in driving cultural and tourism consumption along the line, and driving the hotel and catering industry chain. Under the trend of continuous recovery of cross-border and inbound tourism, the role of railways as the "connector" of transportation infrastructure is further highlighted. In the future, how to continuously refine "theme train" products around segmented scenarios such as events, exhibitions, and study tours will be the key direction for railway passenger transport to explore incremental value.