BEIJING — The volume of freight carried on China's railways over the weeklong Spring Festival holiday hit a record high for the period as economic activity steadily recovers.

The holiday, which started on Feb 11 and continued until Feb 17, saw the railways transport 72.99 million tons of cargo, up 23.7 percent from the same holiday in 2020, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd.

Rail cargo volume is widely seen as a key indicator for economic activity, and China's economy is expected to see a faster recovery this year after ending 2020 on solid footing.

The railway sector served approximately 23.33 million passenger trips during this year's holiday.

That figure is down 60.8 percent from 2019's level, but up 3 percent from the Spring Festival in 2020, which was affected by the rapid and massive response to the COVID-19 epidemic.