A drone photo taken on May 13, 2026 shows China-Europe freight trains doing refitting work at the Tongjiang North Station refitting yard in Tongjiang, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Photo: Xinhua)

China's railway freight maintained steady growth in the first five months of 2026, data from the national railway operator showed Sunday.

The national railway network transported a total of 1.67 billion tonnes of cargo in the January-May period, marking a year-on-year increase of 1.8 percent, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

The daily average number of loaded freight cars stood at 186,300 in the first five months, up 2.8 percent from the same period last year.

During the period, China's railways transported 824,000 export commercial vehicles, an increase of 55.5 percent year on year. Of the total, 422,000 were new energy vehicles, up 110.3 percent from the same period last year.

International freight also posted a stable performance. Rail freight services between China and Europe, and between China and other parts of Asia, handled 15,506 trips in the first five months of the year, up 12.6 percent year on year. Among them, China-Europe freight trains operated 9,331 trips, up 21 percent from a year earlier.