BEIJING - China's railways transported nearly 910 million passengers during the first half of the year, up 12.2 percent from the same period in 2010, the Ministry of Railways announced Sunday.

Meanwhile, the busy railways also transported more than 1.94 billion metric tons of goods, up 8 percent year on year.

Transportation volume of coal rose 13.2 percent to 1.11 billion metric tons, while those of crude oil and grains reached 67.92 million metric tons and 46.65 million metric tons, respectively.

China officially opened its Beijing-Shanghai High-speed Railway on June 30. The 1,318-km link is expected to transport more than 80 million passengers annually, according to the ministry.