Infographic: Holiday travel highlights China's transport strength, economic vitality

(AI-assisted Creation)

Data from the Ministry of Transport showed cross-regional passenger trips exceeded 300 million on each of the first three days of the holiday. China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said the country's railways handled over 25.2 million passenger trips on Oct. 1, setting a new single-day record.

For a country as vast as China, moving hundreds of millions of people during a holiday rush is a feat of scale. Behind this feat lies a transport network built up over decades.

By the end of 2025, China's comprehensive transport network spanned more than 6 million km, including the world's largest high-speed rail network. High-speed railways, expressways, airports and ports connect cities, towns and rural areas across the country.

The network is continuing to expand. On Sept. 28, China opened four major high-speed railway sections across northern, northwestern, central and northeastern China, with a combined length of more than 1,100 km. The new lines further shorten travel times and put more destinations within easy reach of families.

China's transport development goes beyond faster journeys. Better supporting services are also making travel more convenient.

New energy vehicles (NEVs) have become increasingly common among Chinese households and are now a popular choice for long-distance travel. The Ministry of Transport expects NEV trips on expressways during the holiday to reach 1.8 times the usual level, pushing up demand for charging services.

China's extensive charging infrastructure is helping to meet growing demand. The country now has more than 24 million EV charging facilities, forming the world's largest EV charging network. Highway service areas have about 89,000 charging facilities in total, covering virtually all service areas.

To handle the holiday peak, mobile emergency chargers have been added at key service areas, while drivers are encouraged to leave after charging their batteries to 80 percent to improve charging turnover.

Faster connections and more convenient services are making it easier for travelers to visit more destinations in a single trip. Data from online travel platform Qunar showed that nearly 30 percent of travelers had booked hotels in at least two cities, while bookings involving stays in four or more cities surged 53 percent year on year.

The trend extends beyond China's borders. China's expanding transport links are supporting a rise in cross-border travel, with Chinese airlines operating regular international passenger routes connecting 177 cities in 80 countries.

For outbound travel, Qunar data showed that hotel bookings for multi-country trips more than doubled year on year during the holiday. Inbound tourism also recorded double-digit growth, according to Trip.com Group, with day-tour bookings up more than fourfold and train ticket bookings up more than 170 percent year on year during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day breaks.

The transport network that carries millions of travelers is also keeping goods moving, linking businesses and markets and sustaining economic activity across the country.