China saw its rail cargo volume up 2.8% year on year in the first quarter of 2022 citing improved economic activities and strong demand for railway freight transport.

A total of 948 million tonnes of cargo was transported on China's railways in the January to March period, 25.87 million tonnes more than that in the same period last year, Chinese state media said, citing data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway).

"Noting the strong demand for railway freight transport in the first quarter, a China Railway official said that China's railways have strengthened support for the transportation of anti-COVID-19 supplies, industrial raw materials and products, agricultural materials, and coal," Xinhua said.

In the first quarter, China saw 43.79 million tonnes of seeds and agricultural materials transported, up 8.8% year on year. Coal used for power generation carried on railways totaled 350 million tonnes, up 6.5% year on year.

Meanwhile, rail cargo transport through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor soared 56.5% to 170,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers, and the China-Laos Railway carried 260,000 tonnes of goods for import and export.

China-Mongolia land port sees robust growth in freight exports

Separately, the state media said the land port of Erenhot in north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region saw its freight transport export volume increase 41.4% year on year in the first quarter of this year.

In the first three months, 642,000 tonnes of freight were exported via the port, Xinhua said, citing reports from the Erenhot station under the China Railway Hohhot Group Co., Ltd.

During the period, the port logged 734 China-Europe freight trains, up 25.7% year on year.

Currently, 57 China-Europe freight train routes pass through Erenhot Port, the largest land port on the China-Mongolia border.