BEIJING - China's railway passenger trips posted notable growth in May, a sign of recovery from the COVID-19 shock amid continuous efforts to contain the epidemic.

A total of 157 million rail passenger trips were made last month. Average daily passenger trips hit 5.08 million, up 37.6 percent from the previous month, according to data from the China State Railway Group Co Ltd.

The company attributed the growth to increasing demand from a recovering consumption market as the return to work gathered pace and more schools are resuming classes across the country.

Meanwhile, the number of China-Europe freight trains, an important logistics channel to ensure smooth trade flows in the epidemic period, hit a new high of 1,033 in May, up 43 percent year-on-year, the firm said Friday.