China’s total railway freight volume stood at 273.55m tons in June 2009, reported People’s Daily, virtually unchanged on the same month last year.

Coal freight volume is now recovering after falls totalling more than 10 per cent that began in October 2008. Petroleum freight volume is also recovering after a winter downturn. In the first half of this year, both petroleum and metallurgical product volumes have maintained similar levels as the same period in 2008.
Freight volumes of construction materials and cement have increased significantly thanks to the fiscal stimulus package, rising by 15.1 per cent and 5.6 per cent respectively.

In the first half of 2009, China’s investment in railway infrastructure increased 155 per cent year-on-year to Rmb201.46bn. Some 2,740km of new lines were constructed over the period.

One new line where construction has just begun will connect the Suzhou and Huaian in Jiangsu province. The 210km line, jointly funded by the Ministry of Railways and the provincial governments of Anhui and Jiangsu, is expected to play an important role in promoting the economies of the two provinces.