China ushered in a travel rush on Friday, the first day of the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, as millions of people either returned to their hometowns for traditional tomb-sweeping rituals or headed for other cities for spring outings.
The Qingming Festival, also known as the Tomb-Sweeping Day, is a traditional Chinese festival observed to honor ancestors by visiting their graves to clean the tombstones, offer sacrifices, and pay respects.
China's national railway system is expected to handle 19.85 million passenger trips on Friday, with 1,009 additional trains added to meet the surging demand.
From Thursday to Monday, the railway departments across various regions will implement a peak-period operational schedule, adding extra capacity on popular routes and during high-demand times to accommodate more travelers.
Many travelers opt for self-driving during the holiday, contributing to increased traffic on expressways.
It is predicted that about 62 million vehicle trips will be made on nationwide expressways on Friday, nearly 1.8 times the usual daily volume.
Domestic air travel is also seeing a significant uptick, with the number of domestic air passenger trips projected to reach 1.48 million on Friday, marking a 7 percent year-on-year rise.
To meet this heightened demand, around 12,000 domestic flights have been scheduled.
With the holiday underway, authorities are closely monitoring transportation networks to ensure safe and efficient travel for the millions of people on the move.
China ushers in travel rush on first day of Qingming Festival holiday
