BEIJING -- China's railway passenger trips hit a new high in the first quarter of 2025 thanks to robust travel demand and increasing transport capacity.

About 1.074 billion passenger trips were registered in the railway system in the period, up 5.9 percent year on year, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said in a statement on Thursday. In particular, the number of trips made by foreign travelers surged 30 percent year on year to 3.66 million.

The railway operator said it actively enhanced transport capacity to meet rising travel demand, with a 7.4 percent increase in daily trains, more scientific arrangements backed by big data, and continued operation of "slow trains" to remote areas to ensure public welfare.

To boost tourism and consumption, the company also deployed 187 tourist trains in the January-March period, up 30 percent year on year. It also worked to ensure the smooth operation of the China-Laos Railway, which carried 85,000 cross-border passengers in the period, up 32.2 percent.

Meanwhile, railway freight volume also expanded steadily. Data from the National Railway Administration said about 1.25 billion tonnes of cargo were transported through railways in the first quarter, up 1 percent from a year ago.

In the period, the amount of containers, metallic ores, and mineral and construction materials sent through railways increased 20.4 percent, 11.1 percent, and 42.1 percent in tonnes from a year ago, respectively.

The fixed-asset investment in the railway sector gained 5.2 percent year on year to 131.2 billion yuan (about $18 billion) in the first quarter, also a record high.

The steady increases in both passenger trips and freight volume offered strong support for a stable economy, the administration said.