China's railway system handles 105 million passenger trips during National Day holiday

The national railway system has handled 105 million passenger trips since the National Day holiday railway travel boom started on Sept. 29, according to China State Railway Group Co., Ltd (China Railway), the country's railway operator.

The national railway handled over 17 million passenger trips per day from Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, and the number also reached over 21.44 million on Oct. 1, setting a new single-day record.

From Sunday to Tuesday, the national railway will witness a peak in return trips, with relatively concentrated passenger flows in Beijing to Shanghai, Chengdu to Xi'an, Guangzhou to Nanning, Dalian to Shenyang, Wuhan to Changsha, and other sections.

China Railway Beijing Bureau planned to add 102 pairs of passenger trains on Sunday, mainly to cities including Shanghai, Shenyang, Taiyuan, Xi'an, and Shijiazhuang.

China Railway Zhengzhou Bureau planned to operate 1,358 passenger trains and added 126 temporary passenger trains on the same day, of which more than half are high-speed trains to major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou.

The Wuhan bureau of China Railway is expected to send about one million passengers on Sunday, and has added 211 temporary trains along the routes linking places such as Hankou, Yichang and Shiyan in central China's Hubei Province.

The Xi'an bureau also deployed additional trains to Beijing, Shanghai, and major cities of surrounding provinces, and 80 percent of which were EMU trains.

The Guangzhou bureau planned to add 118 high-speed night trains from Sunday evening to Monday morning, and the Nanchang bureau also added 32 night trains along routes departing from Nanchang City and Fuzhou City.

According to the Ministry of Transport, the traffic volume on national highways continued to remain high at about 61 million vehicles on Sunday, and road networks around cities such as Guangzhou, Shanghai, Changsha and Suzhou are expected to see heavy traffic volume.

According to data from the flight travel app Umetrip, the national civil aviation sector has also begun to enter return trip peak, expecting to handle over 17,000 domestic flights and more than 2,600 flights on inbound and outbound routes on Sunday, and the number of civil aviation passengers nationwide is expected to exceed 2.3 million.

China's railway system handles 105 million passenger trips during National Day holiday

China's railway system handles 105 million passenger trips during National Day holiday

As the National Day holiday is coming to an end, the long break has revitalized urban commercial areas, with trade-in programs for consumer goods and multiple cultural and sports events attracting considerable crowds, resulting in a bustling consumer market across various regions.

The National Day holiday, starting on October 1 and known as a "Golden Week," is one of China's largest annual public holidays.

During the first five days of the holiday, an average of around 300 million trips were made daily, with bustling crowds at major scenic spots and museums. Nationwide, ticket bookings increased by over 37 percent compared to last year.

In Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province, naked-eye 3D experience program has attracted hordes of consumers.

"I took my child to experience it and hope that he can feel the charm of technology through these experiences," said Luo Zhiyong, a local in Chengdu City.

In the first four days of the National Day holiday, Beijing's 60 key commercial districts recorded a foot traffic of 26.969 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 20.9 percent. In east China's Jiangsu Province, key retail enterprises achieved cumulative sales of approximately 2.06 billion yuan (about 293.5 million U.S. dollars), a year-on-year increase of 13.5 percent. Key commercial areas in cities like Chengdu and Hangzhou also showed significant growth in both foot traffic and sales.

During the National Day holiday, various regions accelerated the promotion of trade-in programs for consumer goods, boosting the consumption of bulk commodities. The government allocated 60 billion yuan in subsidies for these trade-in initiatives, stimulating the holiday economy and invigorating market activity.

To ensure that consumers nationwide receive the freshest agricultural products from northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, China Post has utilized a green transport channel for fresh produce, helping local geographical indication (GI) products reach markets across the country.

"We primarily use air freight and express rapid delivery to transport our walnuts from Yecheng County to major cities within two to three days, ensuring that people can enjoy the freshest walnuts available," said Yan Qiang, general manager of China Post Xinjiang Yecheng County Branch.

National Day holiday sees booming consumption due to various stimulus measures