China Railway: In the first quarter, the national railway carried 1.133 billion passengers, an increase of 5.5% compared to the same period last year.

According to the China Railway news, in the first quarter of 2026, the national railway group adhered to the development ideology centered on the people, strengthened the organization of passenger transportation, accurately allocated transport capacity relying on the advantage of the railway network, continuously deepened the construction of passenger brand and service quality improvement, led and created new demand with high-quality passenger transportation products supply, continuously improved service quality, and presented a good growth trend in passenger flow. The national railway has accumulated 1.133 billion passenger trips, an increase of 5.5% year-on-year, effectively serving and ensuring the safe, orderly, and warm travel of the people and promoting high-quality economic and social development, injecting new impetus for expanding domestic demand and boosting consumption. First, the continuous optimization of passenger transportation products supply. Coordinating high-speed railway and conventional railway transport capacity resources, scientifically analyzing the travel law of passengers, dynamically optimizing train operation plans, continuously improving the overall transport capacity and efficiency of the railway network, the national railway operated an average of 12,072 passenger trains per day in the first quarter, an increase of 7.1% year-on-year. Strengthening the organization of transportation during peak passenger flows such as the Spring Festival and the New Year holiday, additional temporary passenger trains are operated, multiple units are combined for some high-speed trains, and conventional passenger trains are added during the peak periods to expand capacity to meet the travel needs of passengers. Introduce public service "slow trains" and "rural revitalization" passenger trains to facilitate travel for people in remote areas, further enhancing the universality, equity, and accessibility of railway passenger services. Second, upgrading the quality of passenger services. Aimed at solving the difficulties of passenger travel, a series of measures have been introduced to benefit passengers and greatly enhance the travel experience. A total of 2 additional one-way student discount tickets for the 2026 graduates, the railway 12306 customer service center launched telephone booking services for elderly passengers, free ticket refunds for cases of accidentally purchased tickets, "quiet carriages" expanded to over 8000 sets of multiple units, high-speed pet transport services further optimized and expanded, the "light packing" service piloted at 111 stations, trial launching of the "snow equipment convenience travel" service on the Beijing-Zhang high-speed railway and some trains in the northeast region, to better meet the diverse needs of passengers, making travel more convenient and efficient. Optimize station and onboard dining services, enrich supply categories, improve taste quality, and strive to provide passengers with a "good meal." Third, integration of rails and travel drives consumption. Insist on opening trains to scenic spots, actively adapting to the spring outing, green travel, and flower viewing demands of passengers, vigorously operating characteristic tourist trains such as the "Panda Special," "Tianjin Travel Time," "Hospitality Shandong, Qilu No. 1," "Enjoying Longjiang, Yinyin Travel," and "Dreaming of the Silk Road," launching full-service travel products such as ice and snow tours, red tours, and health tours, activating tourism resources along the line, in the first quarter, the national railways operated 627 tourist trains, effectively promoting the development of tourism economy, silver-haired economy, and ice and snow economy. Focus on festivals, exhibitions, competitions, and performances, deepen cooperation with government departments, industry associations, ticketing platforms, etc., customize themed trains such as "Fans Special," "Sports Fans Special," "Study Tour Special," "Flower Viewing Special," and activate the "theme train +" economy, create new consumption scenarios, promote the development of new consumption formats. At the same time, carefully organize cross-border passenger transportation, the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway sent 8.66 million cross-border passengers, an increase of 17.7% year-on-year, the China-Laos railway sent 112,000 cross-border passengers, an increase of 31.6% year-on-year, successfully operated international passenger trains between China and Mongolia, China and Russia, China and Vietnam, China and North Korea, helping facilitate cross-border personnel exchanges and economic and trade exchanges. Fourth, effective prevention and control of safety risks. Adhere to the concept of life first and safety first, actively respond to extreme weather such as strong winds and rain and snow, take measures such as slowing down and suspending operations in advance, dynamically adjust train operation plans, actively avoid safety risks, strengthen equipment inspection and maintenance, ensure the safety and smooth operation of the railway's major arteries and passenger trains. For large passenger flows, strengthen passenger boarding and alighting organization, optimize the flow of passengers entering and exiting stations, increase guidance forces at key locations to ensure the safety and orderly boarding and alighting of passengers. Next, railway departments will closely monitor changes in passenger flow, dynamically optimize passenger transportation product supply, carefully organize transportation during the May Day and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, vigorously develop universal and inclusive services, enrich and expand the content and scope of special services, further enhance the travel experience of passengers. This article is selected from the "China Railway" public account, edited by GMTEight: Li Fo.