BEIJING, October 03, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) —** China’s railway network carried a record 25.204 million passenger trips on Oct. 1, the first day of the National Day holiday, as millions of people traveled across the country during the week-long break, China State Railway Group said Friday.
Railway passenger traffic was 9% higher than a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Transport, which said total cross-regional passenger trips across all modes of transport reached 329.5 million on Oct. 1, down 1.9% from the same day last year.
China Railway expects another 20.39 million rail passenger trips on Oct. 2 and has scheduled 1,462 additional trains to meet demand.
Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Nanjing were among the most popular departure cities based on ticket pre-sales. Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wuhan, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Nanjing and Changsha were the leading destinations.
The busiest routes included round trips between Xi’an and Chengdu, as well as services from Beijing to Shenyang, Zhengzhou and Qingdao.
Railway operators have increased transport capacity and coordination with local authorities to manage the holiday rush and improve safety and convenience.
In Shanxi province, China Railway Taiyuan Group worked with transport departments and tourist attractions to add shuttle buses connecting Datong South railway station with the Yungang Grottoes and Mount Heng. The Yungang site is a UNESCO World Heritage location containing more than 50,000 Buddhist stone sculptures.
In Inner Mongolia, China Railway Hohhot Group added 11 multiple-unit trains on the Baotou-Wuhai section of the Baotou-Yinchuan high-speed railway.
In Hubei province, China Railway Wuhan Group used the newly opened Yichang-Xingshan high-speed railway to promote tourism, with passengers receiving discounts at scenic sites, hotels and homestays in Yichang and Xingshan when presenting their train tickets.
China Railway expects about 284 million passenger trips during the combined Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday period, which runs from Sept. 23 through Oct. 8.
The Ministry of Transport expects 308.19 million cross-regional passenger trips on Oct. 2, an increase of 2.1% from a year earlier. Road travel accounted for 300.36 million trips on Oct. 1, down 2.8%, while waterways handled 1.416 million trips, up 7.2%, and civil aviation recorded 2.515 million, up 0.5%.
Electric-vehicle charging also surged. The National Energy Administration said 62,700 highway charging facilities monitored nationwide recorded 28.05 million kilowatt-hours of charging on Oct. 1, up 60.4% from the first day of last year’s National Day holiday and a new single-day holiday record.