BEIJING — China's railway freight volume grew 12 percent year-on-year to 920 million metric tons in the first quarter of the year, data from the national railway operator showed.

On average some 168,900 carriages were loaded every day during the period, up 14.2 percent year-on-year, according to the China State Railway Group.

Thanks to optimized operations and an increase in the number of freight trains, the country has been able to effectively expand its freight transport capacity.

The first quarter also saw 3,345 trips by China-Europe freight trains, carrying 317,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) of cargo, up 79 percent over the same period last year.

The transcontinental trade route has continued to ensure the stability and smoothness of the international supply chain, the railway operator noted.