China's railways are on the move – literally! 🚀 From January to April 2025, the country's national railways hauled a whopping 1.3 billion tonnes of goods, marking a 3.6% jump compared to last year. Think of that as moving the weight of *130,000 Eiffel Towers* in just four months! 💪
Coal dominated the cargo mix, with 672 million tonnes transported – enough to power cities for months. But it’s not just about energy: shipments of construction materials (+29.3%) and metals (+10.7%) also soared, signaling a bustling economy. 🏗️🔥
Here’s the kicker: Rail authorities are getting creative. They launched 119 new multimodal shipping routes (think trains + boats + trucks) to slash delivery times and costs. The result? Rail-water container shipments exploded by 19.1% to 5.38 million TEUs. 📦🚢
And don’t sleep on cross-border trade! 🌏 The China-Europe Railway Express held steady, while freight trains to Central Asia surged 21%. Even the China-Laos Railway flexed its muscles, moving 1.98 million tonnes of goods – up 7.6%. Talk about global connectivity! 🚞✨
