BEIJING -- China's railway investment has picked up pace since the beginning of this year, data from the country's railway operator showed Thursday.

During the January-April period, fixed-asset investment in the country's railway sector reached 184.9 billion yuan ($26 billion), marking a 10.5 percent increase from the same period a year ago, according to China State Railway Group.

The growth rate was higher than the 9.9 percent expansion in the first quarter of 2024.

With the high-quality and efficient manner of building railways, the country is expediting the construction of a modern rail infrastructure system, the company said.

Latest progress in the railway construction include the operation of a new high-speed railway connecting Chizhou and Huangshan in East China's Anhui province, which will help promote local tourism. Multiple projects under construction across the country also made headway steadily last month.