China's rail freight volume hits new high in May

BEIJING -- China's rail cargo volume, a key indicator of economic activities, rose 6.6 percent year-on-year and hit a new record high in May, data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd showed.

A total of 340 million metric tons of cargo were transported through China's railway network last month, up 21.1 million tons from a year ago, according to the company.

China's railway authorities have ramped up support for smoothening logistics and facilitating work resumption. Effective measures have been taken to ensure the supply of key materials and stabilize international industrial and supply chains.

A total of 110 million tons of coal used for power generation were transported through railways last month, up 7 percent year-on-year, which ensured coal storage in 363 power supply plants for 33.4 days on average.

Rail cargo transport through the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor also increased by 20.5 percent year-on-year to 78,000 twenty-foot equivalent unit containers in the same period, the company said.