China railway passenger trips hit record high in first eight months

China handled a record 3.32 billion railway passenger trips in the first eight months of 2026, up 3.9% year on year, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

During the period, the railway network operated an average of 11,508 passenger trains daily, up 5% from a year earlier.

Responding to passenger growth driven by the country's transit visa-free policy, the railway network recorded over 16.68 million foreign passenger trips in the first eight months, up 33.3% year on year.

Cross-border rail travel also continued to grow. The China-Laos Railway carried 245,000 cross-border trips, up 39.1%, while the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway handled over 23.4 million cross-border trips, up 10.7%, China Railway said.

Analysts attributed the record to the expansion of China's high-speed rail network, stronger operational capacity, a rebound in tourism consumption and easier cross-border travel.

China has expanded its 240-hour visa-free transit program to 57 countries, with Kyrgyzstan and Vietnam the latest added. The policy has helped fuel a surge in cross-border travel, with Chinese border authorities handling 499 million inbound and outbound trips in the first eight months, up 8.7% year on year.

China Railway has also worked with local cultural and tourism departments to promote tourism, operating 2,501 tourist trains nationwide during the period.

Y839, a seasonal tourist train, runs from Xining in northwest China's Qinghai Province to Lhasa in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region from March to October each year. Chris, a 56-year-old British tourist, was traveling to China with his wife and daughter for the first time, with Lhasa as the first stop. Long fascinated by China, he chose the train to take in the plateau scenery. 

"This train is carrying more than 30 foreign passengers from seven countries, including Thailand, Britain and Japan," said Gai Mingjing, conductor of the Y839 train.

China Railway said it will prepare for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday travel rush, improve station and onboard services, and run distinctive tourist trains to give passengers a better travel experience.