(from cntv.cn)
China’s railways are busy ahead of the autumn holiday season, with millions heading home to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival and China’s National Day holiday with their families. The 11-day travel rush, began Thursday and runs until October the 7th. According to railway authorities, the total number of rail passengers is expected to hit over 75 million.
October the 1st alone will see an estimated 9 million people travelling by train, up 320,000 from last year’s National Day.
As the holiday season begins, people are rushing home to be with their families.
| The sheer numbers put great stress on China’s transport infrastructure, in particular its vast rail network.
October the 1st alone will see an estimated 9 million people travelling by train, up 320,000 from last year’s National Day. Beijing’s four railway stations were estimated to handle nearly 450 thousand passengers on Saturday. In Shanghai, authorities estimate passengers will hit a record of 350 thousand on Sunday. |
The vast demand has seen railway administrations across the country add trains to their schedules. But even so, most routes have sold out.
| The Beijing Railway Administration has added 31 return trains. To cope with the travel rush, Fuzhou Railway Station in east China’s Fujian province is scheduled to add high-speed bullet trains.
South-west China’s Yunnan Province is a popular tourism spot and they have added 3 temporary train services. But train tickets from the capital Kunming to the tourist sites of Dali and Lijiang have sold out. |