BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) -- China's railways transported some 453.25 million passengers during the first quarter of the year, up 0.7 percent from a year earlier, official data showed Sunday.

And the railways delivered 998.61 million metric tons of goods during the January-March period, up 3.2 percent year-on-year, according to a report posted on the railways ministry's website.

To meet the demand of industrial production and the people's basic needs, the ministry has prioritized the delivery of major essential goods, according to the report.

In breakup, the country's railways transported 594.07 million tonnes of coal, 34.62 million tonnes of oil, 27.1 million tonnes of grain and 27.58 million tonnes of fertilizers and pesticides in the first three months.