China's railways carried about 158 million passengers during the eight-day May Day holiday from April 29 to May 6. The China State Railway Group noted strong demand for travel and family visits. A record 24.8 million trips occurred on May 1.
The China State Railway Group announced that the network operated more than 12,000 passenger trains daily on average during the period. Around 700 high-speed trains ran overnight on key routes such as Beijing-Shanghai and Beijing-Guangzhou, with major stations staying open around the clock.
Tourist services expanded as well. Beijing ran a special train to Tianjin for five days in a row, while a new service from Shangrao in Jiangxi to Wuyi Mountain in Fujian started on May 1. Other offerings included the New Orient Express in Xinjiang and the Panda Train in Sichuan. In total, operators ran 68 tourist trains from April 29 to May 5.
April 30 recorded 19.8 million trips as people began their journeys ahead of the official holiday start. The system met the surge by adding capacity across popular corridors.
