BEIJING -- China's rail transport sector has seen a rebound in passenger and cargo volumes in recent months amid the effective control of the COVID-19 epidemic, according to the national railway operator.

September saw the daily average number of train trips hit 7.71 million, about 79.5 percent of the passenger traffic seen in the same period last year, according to China State Railway Group Co, Ltd.

In the first three quarters, Chinese passengers made a total of 1.49 billion train trips.

Meanwhile, rail cargo volume rose steadily despite the impact of the epidemic. China's railway freight volume totaled 2.62 billion tonnes from January to September, up 4.8 percent year-on-year.

Rail cargo volume, coupled with electricity consumption and the total loans issued, is a key indicator to evaluate an economy.