BEIJING -- China's railways saw steady growth in passenger trips and freight volume in the first quarter of the year, according to industry data.

In the January-March period, the railways handled 753 million passenger trips, surging 66 percent year on year, data from China State Railway Group Co Ltd showed.

The country's rail freight volume, a key indicator of economic activities, rose 2.3 percent year on year to 970 million tonnes in the same period.

In March, the average daily number of railway passengers reached 8.58 million, surging 171 percent year-on-year, and was basically on par with that of the same period in 2019.