China to handle 144 mln railway passenger trips over May Day holiday

Passengers board a train at Yangzhou Railway Station in Yangzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Meng Delong/Xinhua)

BEIJING, April 29 (Xinhua) -- China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said.

The figure represents a year-on-year increase of 4.9 percent, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd.

Thursday is expected to see the peak passenger flow for the period, according to the group.

According to China's 12306 railway booking platform, popular destinations for the holiday include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Nanjing and Zhengzhou.

Platform data also shows that Beijing-Shanghai, Xi'an-Chengdu, Beijing-Hohhot, Nanning-Guangzhou, Beijing-Shenyang, and Shenzhen-Hong Kong routes are among the most popular for the eight-day period.

To cater to this surge in traffic, China's rail authorities have scheduled additional train services, operating an average of more than 12,000 passenger trains each day, according to the railway operator.

It noted that actions such as the scheduling of additional high-speed sleeper trains have been taken to increase transport capacities in popular regions and at peak times. ■

A drone photo shows a bullet train running in Yantai City, east China's Shandong Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Sun Wentan/Xinhua)

Passengers wait to board a train at Tengzhou East Railway Station in Tengzhou, east China's Shandong Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Li Zongxian/Xinhua)

Passengers wait to board a train at Shijiazhuang Railway Station in Shijiazhuang, north China's Hebei Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Chen Qibao/Xinhua)

Passengers check in at Lishui Railway Station in Lishui City, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Hu Xiaofei/Xinhua)

Passengers arrive at Harbin Railway Station in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Yuan Yong/Xinhua)

A staff member helps a passenger at Jinhua Railway Station in Jinhua, east China's Zhejiang Province, April 29, 2025. China's railway network is expected to handle approximately 144 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, which kicked off on Tuesday, the national railway operator said. (Photo by Hu Xiaofei/Xinhua)