BEIJING, Jan. 16 -- China's high-speed railways provided the majority of railway passenger trips in 2024, official data revealed Thursday.

High-speed railways handled nearly 3.3 billion passenger trips last year, marking an increase of 12.9 percent year on year and accounting for 75.9 percent of all railway passenger trips in the world's second-largest economy, according to data released by the National Railway Administration.

In total, the nation's railways including those operated by the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. and others administered by local governments and enterprises recorded more than 4.3 billion trips, up 11.9 percent year on year, the data showed.

The government department said both passenger and freight transport volumes via railways hit record highs in 2024, with freight transport volume totaling 5.2 billion tonnes, up 2.8 percent year on year.

In 2024, fixed-asset investment in railways totaled 850.6 billion yuan (118.3 billion U.S. dollars), up 11.3 percent. Newly built railways measuring 3,113.4 kilometers were also inaugurated last year, the department said, adding that the nation's efforts to build modern railway infrastructure have continued. As of the end of 2024, the total length of the nation's operating high-speed railway network stood at 48,000 kilometers.

As an important transport mode, the nation's railways are bracing for record travel numbers during a 40-day Spring Festival travel rush, locally known as chunyun, which began on Jan. 14 this year.