BEIJING, May 11 (Xinhua) -- The construction of China's railway projects has accelerated in the first four months of this year, injecting new impetus into the sustained recovery and improvement of the Chinese economy, according to the country's railway operator on Sunday.

The fixed-asset investment in China's railway sector gained 5.3 percent year on year and reached 194.7 billion yuan (about 27 billion U.S. dollars) from January to April this year, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

During the period, the country's railway sector focused on network connection and supplementation, strengthened control over safety and quality as well as ecological and environmental protection, and advanced railway engineering construction in a high-quality and efficient manner, according to the operator.

Railway construction projects have made positive progress across various regions in the country, including the Lanzhou-Hezuo Railway in northwest China's Gansu and a river tunnel project in north China's Tianjin, it said.

In the future, China will engage in the planning and construction of railway projects in a scientific and orderly manner, improving investment efficiency to accelerate the construction of a modern railway infrastructure system, according to the company. ■