China's railway network transported 332 metric million tons of cargo last month, achieving a freight turnover of 266.5 billion ton-kilometers, recording a year-on-year increase of 6.1 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively, setting new historic highs, according to the China State Railway Group, the national railway operator, on Sunday.

The freight turnover and amount are critical metrics for assessing transportation system utilization and efficiency.

Currently, China's railway freight volume and freight turnover metrics rank the first globally, with the freight volume surpassing the combined amounts of the second and third ranked countries, the United States and Russia, the operator said.