BEIJING, Oct. 19 -- China's railway passenger trips reached a new high during the January-September 2024 period thanks to robust travel demand, official data showed Saturday.

A total of 3.33 billion passenger trips were made via the railway network during the first nine months of this year, up 13.5 percent from a year earlier, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. said, while also noting that the railway system had maintained safe and stable operations.

During this period, the railway operator provided an average of 10,792 trains per day -- up 9.8 percent compared to the previous year.

Cross-border railway services also saw strong growth in this period. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway recorded nearly 19.9 million passenger trips, up 43.1 percent year on year, while the China-Laos Railway handled 190,000 trips.

The surge in railway trips this year was fueled by a booming tourism market, particularly during major holidays such as the Spring Festival, May Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival.