BEIJING - China's railway freight volume rose in the first quarter of this year, pointing to stabilizing economic activity, industrial data showed.

Rail cargo volume grew 15.29 percent year on year in the first three months of 2017 to reach about 724 million tons, increasing by about 100 million tons from the first quarter of 2016, data from the China Railway Corporation showed.

In March, rail cargo volume surged 16.3 percent year on year, marking the eighth consecutive monthly rise. The Urumqi railway bureau saw the biggest cargo volume rise of 48.3 percent year on year.

China's rail cargo volume started to increase last August after a six-month subdued period. Overall, rail cargo volume fell 0.8 percent year on year in 2016 to 3.33 billion tons.

Rail cargo volume, electricity consumption and lending are important indicators of economic expansion as they represent the vigor of economic activity.