A drone photo taken on May 25, 2024 shows freight trains waiting for departure at the Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Horgos Port and the Alataw Pass, two major railway ports in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have handled more than 6,400 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train trips since the beginning of this year, according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd. (Photo: Xinhua)

A drone photo taken on May 25, 2024 shows freight trains waiting for departure at the Alataw Pass in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The Horgos Port and the Alataw Pass, two major railway ports in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, have handled more than 6,400 China-Europe (Central Asia) freight train trips since the beginning of this year, according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd. Photo: Xinhua

China's state railway operator said it completed fixed-asset investment worth of 228.47 billion yuan during the January-May period, an increase of 10.8 percent from a year earlier, as the construction of a modern rail infrastructure system gains pace.

The 10.8 percent investment growth rate in the first five months was slightly higher than that of the January-April period at 10.5 percent, with total investment volume reaching 184.9 billion yuan. 

Since the beginning of this year, the state railway operator implemented the central government's strategy to expand domestic demand and leverage the economic dividend of railway infrastructure investment, as the group has engaged in a number of projects that connect, extend and strengthen the country's advanced railway network, according to a press release the China State Railway Group sent to the Global Times on Wednesday.

In May, the high-speed railway connecting Hangzhou and Wenzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province entered its final testing phase, while key projects such as the Ma'anshan Yangtze River rail-road bridge and the Jintang Undersea Tunnel, a critical component of the high-speed railway connecting Ningbo and Zhoushan in Zhejiang, made significant progress.

The state railway operator said it would continue to push forward high-quality development of railway planning and construction, continuously improve the level of rail connectivity and make a positive contribution to the consolidation and strengthening of the nation's economic recovery.  

Major infrastructure projects, from super-size bridges and canals to offshore wind farms and undersea tunnels have made fresh progress, according to a report by state broadcaster CCTV over the weekend. 

Chinese analysts said that, with the demonstrated edge in China's manufacturing capability and capacity, the ramped-up construction in big infrastructure projects is set to boost the country's overall economic performance in 2024.