BEIJING - The volume of freight carried on China's railways recorded a year-on-year increase of 8.9 percent in the first half of 2021 as economic activities steadily recovered.

Railways transported about 1.85 billion tonnes of cargo in the January-June period, up 150 million tonnes compared to a year earlier, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

The number of containers transported through railways surged 29.5 percent year on year in the reporting period, the data showed.

Rail cargo volume is widely seen as a key indicator for economic activity.