A railway container center in the Sichuan-Pilot Free Trade Zone in Chengdu. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - China's national freight volume, an indicator of economic activity, maintained steady growth in the first 10 months as the country's economic expansion remained steady, official data showed.

China's railways, highways, waterways and civil airlines carried a total of 43.64 billion tons of cargo from January to October, up 5.5 percent year on year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

In breakdown, rail freight grew 6.4 percent to 3.54 billion tons in the period, while air cargo increased 1 percent to 6.11 million tons.

Highway freight volume rose 5.2 percent year on year to 33.96 billion tons, while waterway freight volume gained 6.5 percent to 6.13 billion tons.