China railways handle 158 million passenger trips during May Day holiday rush

(ECNS) -- China's railways handled about 158 million passenger trips during the eight-day May Day holiday travel rush, China State Railway Group said.

The travel period ran from April 29 to May 6, with passenger demand robust for travel, family visits and leisure.

April 30, the day before the holiday, saw 19.8 million trips. On May 1, the peak day, the network carried a record 24.8 million passengers.

During the period, the railway system operated more than 12,000 passenger trains on average per day. About 700 high-speed trains ran overnight along major routes including Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Harbin. Key stations on those lines operated around the clock.

Tourist trains also increased. Beijing, a major travel hub, operated a "Tianjin Travel Time" tourist train to Tianjin for five consecutive days. A "Seeking Immortals" train linking Shangrao in Jiangxi province with Wuyi Mountain in Fujian province began service on May 1.

Other services such as Xinjiang Railway's "New Orient Express," the China-Laos Railway's "StarExpress Lancang-Mekong" and Sichuan's "Panda Train" offered new travel experiences. From April 29 to May 5, a total of 68 tourist trains were operated.

(By Tang Yuxian)