BEIJING -- China's railways carried 1.44 billion people in the first three quarters of the year, up 4 percentage points?from a year earlier, the Ministry of Railways said Saturday.

To adapt to changing traffic, the MOR made adjustments to its operational schedule during the January-September period, the ministry said in an online statement.

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In the first nine months, the country's railways delivered 2.91 billion tons of goods, the statement said, adding that supplies of goods were affected by a downward economic trend during the period.

The ministry said it has coordinated efforts with local governments and major enterprises to stabilize the transportation of major commodities, such as coal and iron ore.

Since the beginning of the year, China's trains have transported 1.68 billion tons of coal, 102.35 million tons of oil, 76.16 million tons of grain and 68.75 million tons of fertilizer and pesticide, according to the statement.