国内英语新闻:Chinese railways carry 1.44 billion passengers in first three quarters

BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's railways carried 1.44 billion people in the first three quarters of the year, up 4 percent from a year earlier, the Ministry of Railways (MOR) said Saturday.

To adapt to changing traffic, the MOR made adjustments to its operational schedule during the January-September period, the ministry said in an online statement.

In the first nine months, the country's railways delivered 2.91 billion tonnes of goods, the statement said, adding that supplies of goods were affected by a downward economic trend during the period.

The ministry said it has coordinated efforts with local governments and major enterprises to stabilize the transportation of major commodities, such as coal and iron ore.

Since the beginning of the year, China's trains have transported 1.68 billion tonnes of coal, 102.35 million tonnes of oil, 76.16 million tonnes of grain and 68.75 million tonnes of fertilizer and pesticide, according to the statement.