BEIJING, October 2025 — China’s extensive railway network continues to play a crucial role in national logistics, demonstrating robust performance in freight transport.

In the first nine months of 2025, China’s national railways moved approximately 3.03 billion tonnes of cargo, marking a 3.4 % increase compared with the same period in 2024.

The transport of key supplies such as coal, smelting materials and grain was prioritised via dedicated “green channels,” ensuring efficient delivery of critically needed goods. Coal shipments alone reached 1.553 billion tonnes, of which about 1.056 billion tonnes were thermal coal for power generation. Meanwhile, shipments of smelting materials and grain rose by 9.4 % and 10.8 %, respectively.

These figures highlight both sustained demand for rail-based freight solutions and the network’s capacity to absorb growth even amid evolving logistics patterns. The performance reflects the important role of rail infrastructure in maintaining industrial, agricultural and energy supply chains across the country.

As China continues to modernise its rail logistics system, this upward trend in freight volume underscores how rail remains a backbone of national connectivity, helping to support stable economic output, enhance supply-chain resilience and reduce dependence on less efficient transport modes.

Source: Fibre2Fashion