During the January-June period, fixed-asset investment in the railway sector reached 355.9 billion yuan (nearly 50 billion U.S. dollars), according to data from China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. 

The investment volume has remained high, the company said, noting that railway investment involves a long industrial chain and covers a wide range of sectors, thus serving as a significant growth driver. 

Railway projects have advanced steadily across the country this year, with 301 km of new routes put into operation and the preparatory work for the construction of new lines making headway.