China handled more freight via railway and built more rail lines in the first three quarters of the year, the national railway operator China State Railway Group said on Monday.

From January to September, the national railway network handled 2.91 billion metric tons of cargo, a year-on-year increase of 6.3 percent.

Coal made up the bulk of that cargo — about 1.1 billion tons, up 17 percent year-on-year.

A total of 12,000 freight train services were operated between China and Europe during that period, a 7 percent increase year-on-year. The trains carried a total of 1.18 million cargo containers, up 8 percent year-on-year.

A total of 555,000 cargo containers were transported via rail-sea intermodal trips along the New Western Land-Sea Trade Corridor, a year-on-year growth of 22 percent.

In addition, more railway lines were opened and more investment was made in railway construction to help stabilize the economy.

During the first three quarters, China invested 475 billion yuan ($65 billion) in railway fixed assets. About 238 billion yuan was spent in remote and poor areas.

At the same time, several new railway lines with a total length of 2,381 kilometers were opened, 1,198 km of which were designated for high-speed trains.

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