The relentless activity in China’s rail freight sector shows no sign of slowing, with another steady month of growth recorded in October, according to state carrier the China Railway Corporation. Railways carried 255 million tonnes of cargo last month, up 4.3 per cent on the previous year.

In the first 10 months of the year, rail freight volumes totalled 2.44 billion tonnes, a rise of 12.8 per cent on 2016, reports the Xinhua News Agency, the official state press bureau. Rail freight, along with passenger volumes, which also rose last month (11 per cent), are seen as a solid indicator of the country’s economic activity. They also demonstrate the potential for continued West-East rail-based trading opportunities, such as the recently-launched services linking China with Finland and the Port of Hamburg.