China’s railway network handled 25.204 million passenger trips on Oct. 1, the first day of the week-long National Day holiday, setting a new single-day record, China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway) said Friday.
On Oct. 2, the railway network is expected to handle 20.39 million passenger trips, with 1,462 additional trains scheduled to accommodate the high demand, the company said.
Passenger ticket pre-sales show that Friday’s popular departure cities include Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Nanjing, while popular arrival cities include Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Nanjing and Changsha.
Routes such as Xi’an-Chengdu round trips, as well as Beijing to Shenyang, Zhengzhou and Qingdao, are among the busiest.
Railway authorities across the country have strengthened transport organization and implemented measures to ensure safe, convenient and comfortable travel.
The China Railway Taiyuan Group has coordinated with local transport departments and scenic spots to add shuttle buses linking Datong South Station with the Yungang Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site featuring over 50,000 Buddhist stone sculptures, and the Hengshan Mountain scenic area in north China’s Shanxi Province.
The China Railway Hohhot Group has added 11 multiple-unit trains on the Baotou-Wuhai section of the Baotou-Yinchuan high-speed railway.
The China Railway Wuhan Group, tapping the newly opened Yichang-Xingshan high-speed railway, has launched a promotion campaign with local governments in Yichang and Xingshan, offering passengers exclusive discounts at scenic spots, hotels and homestays with their train tickets.
China Railway expects some 284 million passenger trips during the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period, which extends from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.
On Oct. 1, a total of 329.5 million cross-regional passenger trips were made across China, down 1.9 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport.
Specifically, railway passenger trips reached 25.204 million, up 9 percent year on year; road passenger trips stood at 300.36 million, down 2.8 percent; waterway passenger trips totaled 1.416 million, up 7.2 percent; and civil aviation passenger trips came in at 2.515 million, up 0.5 percent, according to the ministry.
China’s total cross-regional passenger trips are expected to reach 308.19 million on Oct. 2, up 2.1 percent year on year, the ministry added.
On Friday, the National Energy Administration reported that, based on statistical analysis of 62,700 highway charging facilities included in the national charging infrastructure monitoring service platform, the first day of the National Day holiday saw a total highway charging volume of 28.05 million kilowatt-hours nationwide.
This represents a 60.4 percent increase compared to the first day of last year’s National Day holiday, setting a new single-day holiday record for charging volume.
