Passengers arrive at Nanjing Railway Station in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province of China, March 13, 2026. (Photo: VCG)

China's railways handled a record 1.13 billion passenger trips in the first quarter of 2026, up 5.5 percent year on year, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. announced on Thursday.

During the period, the country's railway network operated an average of 12,072 passenger trains per day, up 7.1 percent from the same period last year, as railway authorities optimized transport capacity and adjusted services to match travel demand, the company said.

New measures were rolled out to improve passenger services, including two additional one-way discounted tickets for 2026 college graduates, telephone booking services for elderly passengers via the 12306 customer service center, and time-limited free refunds for mistakenly purchased tickets, the operator added.

To meet spring travel demand, railways also expanded tourist train services and launched full-itinerary products such as ice-and-snow and wellness tours, tapping into cultural and tourism resources along railway lines.

A total of 627 tourist trains were operated nationwide in the first quarter, supporting the development of the tourism,