BEIJING, June 13 (Xinhua) -- China saw steady growth in railway passenger trips in the first five months of the year, with increases in passenger volume and improvement in service quality, the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said Saturday.

Nearly 1.97 billion railway passenger trips were made nationwide during the January-May period, up 5.7 percent from a year earlier and setting a new record high, said China Railway.

Adapting to the passenger flow growth brought by the country's transit visa-free policy, the country's railway network has facilitated increased travel for foreign passengers, recording over 10.02 million foreign passenger trips in the first five months, a surge of 35.5 percent year on year.

During this period, cross-border rail travel also continued to grow, with the China-Laos Railway carrying 167,000 passengers, up 35 percent from a year earlier, while the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong high-speed railway handled 14.53 million cross-border trips, an increase of 14.5 percent year on year, China Railway said.

Meanwhile, China Railway has been coordinating with local cultural and tourism departments to promote tourism, operating 1,400 tourist trains nationwide during the first five months.

The railway operator has also introduced preferential policies for elderly passengers and expanded "quiet carriage" services, as well as pet-friendly travel services, according to the company. ■